StockNews.com Upgrades Humana (NYSE:HUM) to Buy

Humana (NYSE:HUM) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on HUM. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Humana from $270.00 to $288.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Humana from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Humana presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $280.17.

Humana Price Performance

HUM opened at $280.63 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $266.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $271.01. The firm has a market cap of $33.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.20, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.62. Humana has a 1 year low of $213.31 and a 1 year high of $406.46.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($2.16) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.26) by $0.10. Humana had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 11.70%. As a group, analysts predict that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Humana

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Humana by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,829,210 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,254,899,000 after acquiring an additional 1,751,857 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox increased its position in shares of Humana by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 10,198,040 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,587,345,000 after purchasing an additional 5,264,045 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Humana by 44.0% during the 4th quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 3,609,382 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $915,736,000 after buying an additional 1,103,132 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Humana by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,883,614 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $729,658,000 after buying an additional 63,562 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Humana by 29.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,397,808 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $608,348,000 after buying an additional 550,692 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.