Humana (NYSE:HUM) Downgraded by Leerink Partnrs

Leerink Partnrs downgraded shares of Humana (NYSE:HUM) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Zacks.com reports.

HUM has been the subject of several other research reports. Bank of America cut shares of Humana from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $376.00 to $247.00 in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Humana from $332.00 to $396.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a neutral rating and set a $395.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Humana in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. They set an overweight rating and a $392.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on Humana from $355.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $357.24.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of HUM stock opened at $240.03 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $337.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $342.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.92 billion, a PE ratio of 14.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.50. Humana has a 52-week low of $213.31 and a 52-week high of $530.54.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.89 by $1.07. Humana had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 1.53%. The company had revenue of $29.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.52 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $8.94 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Humana will post 16.01 EPS for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUM. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC increased its position in Humana by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC now owns 2,775 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp raised its stake in shares of Humana by 132.0% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 15,868 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,265,000 after acquiring an additional 9,029 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in shares of Humana by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 3,606 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,651,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in Humana by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 4,234 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,929,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares during the period. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Humana in the 4th quarter valued at $421,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

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.