Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Humana (NYSE:HUM) in a research report issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The firm set a “buy” rating on the insurance provider’s stock.
Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. ValuEngine lowered shares of Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Humana in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Humana in a report on Tuesday, December 5th. Credit Suisse Group decreased their target price on shares of Humana from $256.00 to $246.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Humana from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 10th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Humana currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $256.30.
Humana (NYSE:HUM) opened at $251.64 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $35,439.30, a PE ratio of 19.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.88. Humana has a fifty-two week low of $186.25 and a fifty-two week high of $264.56.
Humana announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, December 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.
In other news, VP Timothy S. Huval sold 1,382 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.04, for a total value of $340,027.28. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,843,484.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jody L. Bilney sold 7,054 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.89, for a total transaction of $1,748,616.06. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,704 shares in the company, valued at $2,901,304.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,115 shares of company stock worth $2,501,627 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America increased its stake in Humana by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America now owns 575 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 4 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group increased its stake in Humana by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 1,506 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. Reliance Trust Co. of Delaware increased its stake in Humana by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Reliance Trust Co. of Delaware now owns 1,123 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 8 shares during the period. Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. increased its stake in Humana by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. now owns 730 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $129,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning increased its stake in Humana by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 4,874 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,173,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Humana
Humana Inc is a health and well-being company. The Company’s segments include Retail, Group and Specialty, Healthcare Services and Individual Commercial. The Retail segment consists of Medicare benefits, as well as individual commercial fully insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits, including dental, vision, and other supplemental health and financial protection products.
