Humana (NYSE:HUM) Stock Rating Lowered by Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Humana (NYSE:HUM) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has $253.00 target price on the insurance provider’s stock, down from their prior target price of $519.00.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. UBS Group cut their target price on Humana from $380.00 to $250.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Humana in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $374.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Humana from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Humana from $396.00 to $407.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Humana from $332.00 to $396.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $322.00.

Humana Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of Humana stock opened at $251.36 on Monday. Humana has a 1 year low of $213.31 and a 1 year high of $530.54. The firm has a market cap of $30.29 billion, a PE ratio of 15.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $329.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $341.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.66.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.89 by $1.07. Humana had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 1.53%. The firm had revenue of $29.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.52 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.94 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Humana will post 16.01 EPS for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a $0.885 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HUM. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Humana by 538.7% during the second quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,318,347 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $866,250,000 after buying an additional 1,955,375 shares during the period. Davis Selected Advisers increased its stake in shares of Humana by 16.1% during the second quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 2,311,362 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $863,640,000 after buying an additional 321,233 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Humana by 118.9% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,425,302 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $532,564,000 after buying an additional 774,085 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Humana by 2.1% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,183,985 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $442,396,000 after buying an additional 24,842 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its stake in shares of Humana by 11,647.2% during the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,059,478 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $367,342,000 after buying an additional 1,050,459 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.