Sigma Planning Corp Cuts Stock Position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Sigma Planning Corp lessened its holdings in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 36.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,134 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 657 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Humana were worth $519,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Humana during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in Humana by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 60 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Nvwm LLC increased its stake in Humana by 41.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Humana during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Humana during the 3rd quarter worth $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on HUM shares. Argus downgraded shares of Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $342.00 price objective (down from $470.00) on shares of Humana in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Humana from $334.00 to $326.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $433.74.

Insider Activity at Humana

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita acquired 545 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction of $200,064.05. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Humana Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE HUM opened at $311.41 on Friday. Humana Inc. has a one year low of $299.23 and a one year high of $541.21. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $328.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $395.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.57 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.45.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.12 by $1.11. Humana had a net margin of 1.82% and a return on equity of 17.76%. The business had revenue of $29.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.38 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be given a $0.885 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.04%.

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.