Humana (NYSE:HUM) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Humana (NYSE:HUM) in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm issued an equal weight rating and a $374.00 target price on the insurance provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on HUM. Barclays cut their target price on Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. TD Cowen cut their price target on Humana from $427.00 to $396.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Humana from $413.00 to $350.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Humana from $450.00 to $385.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Humana to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $410.47.

Humana Stock Performance

NYSE:HUM opened at $358.04 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Humana has a 12-month low of $298.61 and a 12-month high of $530.54. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $340.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $354.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.53.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.12 by $1.11. Humana had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 1.82%. The firm had revenue of $29.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.38 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Humana will post 16.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.04%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HUM. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Humana during the 4th quarter worth $676,800,000. Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new position in Humana during the 4th quarter worth $489,300,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its holdings in Humana by 11,647.2% during the 1st quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,059,478 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $367,342,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050,459 shares during the period. Putnam Investments LLC increased its holdings in Humana by 550.3% during the 4th quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 875,489 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $400,808,000 after purchasing an additional 740,858 shares during the period. Finally, Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Humana during the 1st quarter worth $158,813,000. 92.38% of the stock is currently 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.