Short Interest in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Decreases By 6.2%

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,110,000 shares, a decrease of 6.2% from the August 15th total of 2,250,000 shares. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,190,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Institutional Trading of Humana

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mendota Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Humana by 9.2% in the second quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 319 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel grew its position in shares of Humana by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 2,273 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,155,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Humana by 17.0% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 213 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Humana by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,294 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,050,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Humana by 111.4% during the second quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 74 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Trading Up 1.1 %

Humana stock opened at $315.29 on Thursday. Humana has a 12-month low of $298.61 and a 12-month high of $530.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $360.50 and a 200 day moving average of $346.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.89 by $1.07. The firm had revenue of $29.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.52 billion. Humana had a net margin of 1.53% and a return on equity of 16.12%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.94 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Humana will post 16 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a $0.885 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. Humana’s payout ratio is 22.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Humana in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $374.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen increased their target price on Humana from $396.00 to $407.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Humana in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $374.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Humana from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Humana has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $398.70.

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.