Hills Bank & Trust Co Has $541,000 Stock Holdings in The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI)

Hills Bank & Trust Co grew its holdings in The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,959 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in The Cigna Group were worth $541,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of The Cigna Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Cigna Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Cigna Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of The Cigna Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in The Cigna Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. 86.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Nicole S. Jones sold 4,904 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.12, for a total value of $1,511,020.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,421 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,065,198.52. This trade represents a 14.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Noelle K. Eder sold 9,944 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $3,182,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,289,920. The trade was a 42.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 41,375 shares of company stock valued at $12,866,600 over the last ninety days. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Cigna Group Stock Performance

Shares of CI opened at $313.35 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $85.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.60, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $296.79 and a 200 day moving average of $316.52. The Cigna Group has a 12 month low of $262.03 and a 12 month high of $370.83.

The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The health services provider reported $6.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.84 by ($1.20). The Cigna Group had a net margin of 1.39% and a return on equity of 18.61%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.79 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Cigna Group will post 29.77 earnings per share for the current year.

The Cigna Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. This is an increase from The Cigna Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. The Cigna Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on The Cigna Group from $403.00 to $379.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised The Cigna Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $348.00 price target (down from $394.00) on shares of The Cigna Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial dropped their price target on The Cigna Group from $390.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Stephens dropped their price target on The Cigna Group from $410.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Cigna Group presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $372.31.

The Cigna Group Company Profile

The Cigna Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and related products and services in the United States. Its Evernorth Health Services segment provides a range of coordinated and point solution health services, including pharmacy benefits, home delivery pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, distribution, and care delivery and management solutions to health plans, employers, government organizations, and health care providers.