Humana (NYSE:HUM) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Humana (NYSE:HUM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Tuesday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on HUM. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Humana from $387.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $283.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Humana from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Humana from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $247.00 to $308.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Humana has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $285.68.

Humana Stock Up 2.5 %

NYSE:HUM opened at $261.49 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $270.64 and a 200-day moving average of $287.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.55 billion, a PE ratio of 26.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.56. Humana has a 52 week low of $213.31 and a 52 week high of $406.46.

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

Humana Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.35%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.26, for a total transaction of $948,930.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,096,463.06. This represents a 31.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in Humana by 244.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Humana during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP raised its stake in shares of Humana by 81.8% in the 3rd quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP now owns 100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Humana in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Humana during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 92.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.