Humana (HUM) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Humana (NYSE:HUM) will be issuing its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $6.06 per share for the quarter. Parties that are interested in participating in the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The insurance provider reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.87). Humana had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 19.44%. The firm had revenue of $26.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Humana to post $16 EPS for the current fiscal year and $23 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Humana Stock Up 0.9 %

HUM stock opened at $317.42 on Wednesday. Humana has a 52-week low of $299.23 and a 52-week high of $541.21. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $345.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $426.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.45.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. TheStreet lowered shares of Humana from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Humana from $427.00 to $396.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Humana from $450.00 to $385.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Stephens dropped their price target on shares of Humana from $550.00 to $430.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $630.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $465.42.

Insider Activity

In other Humana news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction of $200,064.05. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in shares of Humana by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 5,709 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,484,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in shares of Humana by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 5,660 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,463,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Humana by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,906 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,135,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Humana by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 615 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. increased its position in Humana by 25.0% in the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 29,809 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $12,971,000 after acquiring an additional 5,964 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.