Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Stock Position Lifted by Atlas Brown Inc.

Atlas Brown Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,352 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the quarter. Atlas Brown Inc.’s holdings in Humana were worth $1,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Humana by 244.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. bought a new position in Humana during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Humana during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP raised its stake in shares of Humana by 81.8% in the 3rd quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP now owns 100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Humana in the second quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HUM traded up $1.63 during trading on Friday, hitting $269.76. 1,146,763 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,146,409. The company has a market capitalization of $32.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76. Humana Inc. has a 1-year low of $213.31 and a 1-year high of $459.76. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $273.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $311.56.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.48 by $0.68. The firm had revenue of $29.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.66 billion. Humana had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 13.20%. Sell-side analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 16.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Humana’s payout ratio is presently 31.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Humana

In related news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.26, for a total transaction of $948,930.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,096,463.06. This trade represents a 31.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Humana from $380.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Humana from $250.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $395.00 price target on shares of Humana in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Humana from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Humana from $400.00 to $265.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Humana has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $302.00.

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.