Analysts Set Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Price Target at $285.68

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $285.68.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Humana from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $283.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th.

Humana Stock Performance

NYSE:HUM opened at $270.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76. Humana has a fifty-two week low of $213.31 and a fifty-two week high of $406.46. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $270.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $274.93. The company has a market capitalization of $32.59 billion, a PE ratio of 27.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.57.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($2.16) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.26) by $0.10. Humana had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 11.70%. Research analysts anticipate that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. Humana’s payout ratio is currently 35.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Humana

In other news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.26, for a total value of $948,930.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,181 shares in the company, valued at $2,096,463.06. This represents a 31.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Humana by 399.7% in the 4th quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,643 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $924,000 after buying an additional 2,914 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Humana by 6,647.5% during the fourth quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 27,260 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,916,000 after acquiring an additional 26,856 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in Humana by 735.9% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 219,002 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $55,563,000 after purchasing an additional 192,801 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Humana by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 964,926 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $244,811,000 after purchasing an additional 65,735 shares during the period. Finally, PDT Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Humana by 190.0% during the 3rd quarter. PDT Partners LLC now owns 4,060 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,286,000 after purchasing an additional 2,660 shares during the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.