Humana (NYSE:HUM) Trading Up 1.4% Following Dividend Announcement

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)’s share price was up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Friday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $329.71 and last traded at $329.33. Approximately 230,094 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 1,985,120 shares. The stock had previously closed at $324.83.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be issued a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on HUM shares. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a report on Friday, January 19th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Humana from $427.00 to $396.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Humana in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Humana from $413.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, TheStreet cut shares of Humana from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $465.42.

Humana Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $330.40 and its 200-day moving average is $400.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.57, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Humana

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of Humana stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $367.09 per share, with a total value of $200,064.05. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HUM. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Humana by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 5,709 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,484,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in Humana by 0.6% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 5,660 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,463,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Humana by 0.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,906 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,135,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Humana by 19.0% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 615 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. boosted its stake in Humana by 25.0% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 29,809 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $12,971,000 after acquiring an additional 5,964 shares in the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is owned by 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.