Investors Buy Large Volume of Humana Put Options (NYSE:HUM)

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders purchased 32,654 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 150% compared to the typical volume of 13,059 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler cut shares of Humana from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $392.00 to $274.00 in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. KeyCorp started coverage on Humana in a report on Friday, October 11th. They issued a “sector weight” rating for the company. Bank of America lowered Humana from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $376.00 to $247.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Leerink Partnrs downgraded Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Humana from $400.00 to $265.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nineteen have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Humana has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $312.95.

Humana Stock Up 2.0 %

HUM stock opened at $260.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $293.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $333.56. Humana has a twelve month low of $213.31 and a twelve month high of $527.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.39 billion, a PE ratio of 23.09, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.48 by $0.68. Humana had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 13.20%. The company had revenue of $29.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.66 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Humana will post 16.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.885 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.36%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.36%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUM. Norden Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Humana by 137.9% during the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 1st quarter valued at $281,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Humana by 9.2% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 41,412 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $14,358,000 after acquiring an additional 3,501 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Humana by 4.8% in the first quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,863 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $993,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in Humana during the first quarter valued at about $46,885,000. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

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.