Sigma Planning Corp Boosts Stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Sigma Planning Corp raised its position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 122.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,456 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Humana were worth $369,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Humana by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,070 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Atlas Brown Inc. raised its position in Humana by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 6,352 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,611,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its position in Humana by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 1,639 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. raised its position in Humana by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 236 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in Humana by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 736 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Humana

In other news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of Humana stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,096,463.06. The trade was a 31.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of HUM opened at $261.49 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $31.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.56. Humana Inc. has a twelve month low of $213.31 and a twelve month high of $406.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $270.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $287.87.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. Humana’s payout ratio is currently 35.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HUM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Humana from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Humana from $261.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $283.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $290.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $285.68.

About Humana

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.