Humana (NYSE:HUM) Trading 0.9% Higher Following Dividend Announcement

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)’s share price was up 0.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday following a dividend announcement from the company. The company traded as high as $331.00 and last traded at $326.39. Approximately 415,977 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 1,993,478 shares. The stock had previously closed at $323.46.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HUM. Argus cut Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $630.00 target price on shares of Humana in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $550.00 target price on shares of Humana in a report on Friday, January 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Humana from $507.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $465.42.

Humana Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a market capitalization of $39.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $343.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $425.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The insurance provider reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.87). The company had revenue of $26.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.47 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Humana

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita bought 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, with a total value of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $946,358.02. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mariner LLC lifted its position in Humana by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 14,119 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,869,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Humana by 27.5% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 27,943 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,595,000 after buying an additional 6,034 shares during the last quarter. Silverarc Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Humana during the 3rd quarter valued at $4,865,000. Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Humana by 43.3% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 27,993 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $12,815,000 after acquiring an additional 8,455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 64,573 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,563,000 after purchasing an additional 5,672 shares during 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.