Humana (NYSE:HUM) Stock Price Down 2.1% After Analyst Downgrade

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)’s share price was down 2.1% on Thursday after Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on the stock from $391.00 to $360.00. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Humana traded as low as $308.19 and last traded at $309.41. Approximately 466,882 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 1,987,235 shares. The stock had previously closed at $315.98.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on HUM. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Humana from $415.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. UBS Group dropped their target price on Humana from $334.00 to $326.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Humana from $507.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Argus downgraded shares of Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Raymond James assumed coverage on Humana in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $437.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Humana news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $367.09 per share, with a total value of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Humana in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Gradient Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 60 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Nvwm LLC raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 41.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Humana Stock Down 1.8 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $37.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $329.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $396.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.12 by $1.11. The firm had revenue of $29.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.52 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.38 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be given a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.86%.

Humana Company Profile

Humana Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides medical and specialty insurance products in the United States. It operates through two segments, Insurance and CenterWell. The company offers medical and supplemental benefit plans to individuals. It has a contract with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition prescription drug plan program; and contracts with various states to provide Medicaid, dual eligible, and long-term support services benefits.