Humana (NYSE:HUM) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy” Rating

Humana (NYSE:HUM) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on HUM. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Humana from $270.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $283.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Humana from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $280.17.

Humana Trading Up 0.6 %

HUM traded up $1.65 on Monday, hitting $255.42. 1,806,769 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,722,999. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $266.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $271.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.83 billion, a PE ratio of 25.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.62. Humana has a 12 month low of $213.31 and a 12 month high of $406.46.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($2.16) earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Humana by 40,881.1% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 781,099 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,066,790,000 after purchasing an additional 779,193 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Humana by 17.1% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 453 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $120,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its stake in shares of Humana by 9.2% in the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 13,811 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,654,000 after buying an additional 1,164 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Humana by 71.8% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 323 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Humana during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $553,000. 92.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Humana

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.