Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Stock Holdings Lifted by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,848 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Humana were worth $2,245,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake in Humana by 244.0% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Atwood & Palmer Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Humana in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Humana during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP grew its stake in Humana by 81.8% during the 3rd quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP now owns 100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management bought a new position in Humana during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Trading Down 1.7 %

Humana stock opened at $282.57 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $34.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.55. Humana Inc. has a 1 year low of $213.31 and a 1 year high of $455.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $274.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $309.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.48 by $0.68. Humana had a return on equity of 13.20% and a net margin of 1.18%. The business had revenue of $29.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.66 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 16.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.26, for a total value of $948,930.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,096,463.06. This represents a 31.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HUM. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $519.00 to $253.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $395.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Humana from $387.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Humana from $349.00 to $250.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Humana from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $247.00 to $308.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $302.00.

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.