Smith Thornton Advisors LLC Makes New $1.12 Million Investment in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Smith Thornton Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 2,984 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,115,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Humana by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,183,985 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $442,396,000 after purchasing an additional 24,842 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Humana by 6.5% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 119,165 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,526,000 after buying an additional 7,284 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Humana by 41.0% in the second quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 191,570 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,580,000 after buying an additional 55,733 shares during the period. MBB Public Markets I LLC lifted its stake in shares of Humana by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC now owns 119,760 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,748,000 after acquiring an additional 9,430 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Humana by 41.6% during the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,466 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Humana Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE HUM opened at $313.04 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.72 billion, a PE ratio of 19.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $351.30 and its 200 day moving average is $344.65. Humana Inc. has a twelve month low of $298.61 and a twelve month high of $530.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.89 by $1.07. The firm had revenue of $29.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.52 billion. Humana had a net margin of 1.53% and a return on equity of 16.12%. The company’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.94 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Humana Inc. will post 16.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th 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 1.13%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is 22.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Humana from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of Humana in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $374.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Humana from $396.00 to $407.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Humana from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Humana has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $398.70.

Humana 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.