StockNews.com Downgrades Humana (NYSE:HUM) to Hold

Humana (NYSE:HUM) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

HUM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $283.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler upped 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Humana presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $285.68.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of HUM opened at $265.59 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.57. The company’s fifty day moving average is $271.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $284.78. Humana has a 1 year low of $213.31 and a 1 year high of $406.46.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($2.16) earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.26, for a total value of $948,930.78. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,096,463.06. This trade represents a 31.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH boosted its position in shares of Humana by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 7,567 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,920,000 after acquiring an additional 1,448 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter worth approximately $15,397,000. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its position in shares of Humana by 62.0% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,916 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $486,000 after acquiring an additional 733 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its position in shares of Humana by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 64,447 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $16,351,000 after acquiring an additional 4,455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter worth approximately $763,000. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.