Humana (NYSE:HUM) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Humana (NYSE:HUM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on HUM. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $283.00 target price on shares of Humana in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective 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, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Humana from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $280.17.

Humana Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HUM opened at $255.42 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $266.73 and its 200 day moving average is $271.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.76. Humana has a 1 year low of $213.31 and a 1 year high of $406.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.62.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($2.16) EPS for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts predict that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a $0.885 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.58%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HUM. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Humana during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA boosted its holdings in shares of Humana by 56.3% in the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 125 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Humana during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

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.