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

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $285.68.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HUM. Barclays lifted their price objective on Humana from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Humana from $270.00 to $288.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target 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.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HUM opened at $273.51 on Friday. Humana has a 52 week low of $213.31 and a 52 week high of $406.46. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $270.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $275.00. The company has a market cap of $33.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.49, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

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

Humana Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. Humana’s payout ratio is currently 35.58%.

Insider Activity at Humana

In related news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.26, for a total value of $948,930.78. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,096,463.06. This trade represents a 31.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dodge & Cox grew its holdings in shares of Humana by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 10,198,040 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,587,345,000 after purchasing an additional 5,264,045 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Humana by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,829,210 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,254,899,000 after buying an additional 1,751,857 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Humana during the fourth quarter worth approximately $416,202,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Humana by 44.0% in the fourth quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 3,609,382 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $915,736,000 after acquiring an additional 1,103,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of Humana by 435.8% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,098,702 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $279,236,000 after acquiring an additional 893,637 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.