Humana (NYSE:HUM) Stock Price Up 0.9% Following Dividend Announcement

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) shares rose 0.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday after the company announced a dividend. The stock traded as high as $331.00 and last traded at $326.39. Approximately 415,977 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 1,993,478 shares. The stock had previously closed at $323.46.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be given a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.08%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is 17.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HUM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Humana in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $391.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $595.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Stephens cut their target price on Humana from $550.00 to $430.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Humana currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $465.42.

Humana Trading Up 1.1 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $330.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $400.99. The company has a market cap of $39.61 billion, a PE ratio of 16.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The insurance provider reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.87). Humana had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm had revenue of $26.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.47 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.62 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita purchased 545 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HUM. Mariner LLC increased its position in shares of Humana by 2.3% in the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 14,119 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,869,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 27.5% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 27,943 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,595,000 after acquiring an additional 6,034 shares in the last quarter. Silverarc Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Humana during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,865,000. Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 43.3% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 27,993 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $12,815,000 after acquiring an additional 8,455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its holdings in Humana by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 64,573 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,563,000 after purchasing an additional 5,672 shares in the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by 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.