Humana (NYSE:HUM) Sees Strong Trading Volume on Analyst Upgrade

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $253.00 to $255.00. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. 2,818,103 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 116% from the previous session’s volume of 1,305,321 shares.The stock last traded at $288.34 and had previously closed at $284.92.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on HUM. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Humana from $261.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Humana from $380.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Humana from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Humana from $288.00 to $301.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Humana from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $247.00 to $308.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Humana currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $302.80.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.26, for a total value of $948,930.78. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,096,463.06. This represents a 31.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Humana

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Humana by 25.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 375 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in Humana by 71.5% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 4,622 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,727,000 after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Humana in the 2nd quarter valued at about $328,000. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Humana during the 2nd quarter valued at about $362,000. Finally, AXA S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Humana by 285.1% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 50,809 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $18,985,000 after purchasing an additional 37,614 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $274.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $305.79. The company has a market capitalization of $35.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.08, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.48 by $0.68. Humana had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 13.20%. The firm had revenue of $29.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.66 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Humana Inc. will post 16.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.