Short Interest in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Drops By 14.9%

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 3,660,000 shares, a decline of 14.9% from the February 13th total of 4,300,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,730,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Humana news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of Humana stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,096,463.06. The trade was a 31.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA lifted its holdings in shares of Humana by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 125 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HUM opened at $267.01 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.76. Humana has a 1-year low of $213.31 and a 1-year high of $406.46. The company has a market capitalization of $32.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $271.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $278.21.

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

Humana Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HUM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $283.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Humana from $270.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Humana from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Humana currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $285.68.

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.