Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Has $1.40 Million Stock Holdings in Cigna Group $CI

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. cut its position in Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,246 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 320 shares during the period. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in Cigna Group were worth $1,403,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CI. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Cigna Group by 10.0% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 12,056,806 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $3,966,690,000 after acquiring an additional 1,094,327 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Cigna Group by 0.9% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 11,654,993 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $3,834,493,000 after acquiring an additional 98,715 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox raised its holdings in shares of Cigna Group by 1.3% during the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,889,733 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $2,924,722,000 after acquiring an additional 117,125 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cigna Group by 21.5% during the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 4,886,674 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,607,716,000 after acquiring an additional 865,092 shares during the period. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cigna Group by 86,071.1% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,475,282 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $1,148,859,000 after acquiring an additional 3,471,249 shares during the period. 86.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Brian C. Evanko sold 5,368 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $1,610,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,354,600. This represents a 9.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Nicole S. Jones sold 28,526 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $8,557,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 25,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,694,400. The trade was a 52.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Cigna Group Stock Down 0.9%

Cigna Group stock opened at $305.08 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.43 billion, a PE ratio of 16.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s 50-day moving average is $299.12 and its 200-day moving average is $307.74. Cigna Group has a fifty-two week low of $256.89 and a fifty-two week high of $350.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The health services provider reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.15 by $0.05. Cigna Group had a net margin of 1.92% and a return on equity of 18.80%. The business had revenue of $67.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.72 EPS. Cigna Group’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Cigna Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 29.600- EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cigna Group will post 29.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Cigna Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 4th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 4th. Cigna Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on shares of Cigna Group from $345.00 to $325.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cigna Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Cigna Group in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $370.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 price target (down from $388.00) on shares of Cigna Group in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $415.00 price target on shares of Cigna Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $369.89.

Cigna Group Profile

The Cigna Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and related products and services in the United States. Its Evernorth Health Services segment provides a range of coordinated and point solution health services, including pharmacy benefits, home delivery pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, distribution, and care delivery and management solutions to health plans, employers, government organizations, and health care providers.