Humana (NYSE:HUM) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Humana (NYSE:HUM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Friday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Humana and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Humana from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $326.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Humana from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Humana has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $280.76.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HUM opened at $241.82 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.43. Humana has a 12 month low of $212.45 and a 12 month high of $406.46. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $241.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $259.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.91.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The insurance provider reported $11.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.07 by $1.51. The business had revenue of $32.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32 billion. Humana had a net margin of 1.42% and a return on equity of 14.47%. The business’s revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.23 EPS. Analysts expect that Humana will post 16.47 EPS for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Humana by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 964,926 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $244,811,000 after purchasing an additional 65,735 shares during the last quarter. denkapparat Operations GmbH acquired a new stake in Humana during the 4th quarter worth $323,000. Allstate Corp acquired a new stake in Humana during the 4th quarter worth $905,000. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in Humana by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 631,371 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $160,185,000 after purchasing an additional 97,071 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Humana during the 4th quarter worth $14,097,000. 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.