Humana (NYSE:HUM) Stock Price Down 6.1% – What’s Next?

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) shares were down 6.1% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $243.77 and last traded at $244.68. Approximately 1,250,739 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 32% from the average daily volume of 1,842,516 shares. The stock had previously closed at $260.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $519.00 to $253.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Leerink Partnrs cut Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Leerink Partners downgraded shares of Humana from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $400.00 to $250.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Humana from $400.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Humana from $380.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Humana presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $300.50.

Humana Trading Down 1.7 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $28.39 billion, a PE ratio of 20.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $274.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $322.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.48 by $0.68. Humana had a return on equity of 13.20% and a net margin of 1.18%. The company had revenue of $29.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.66 billion. Equities analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 16.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Humana

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its position in Humana by 244.0% during the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Humana during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP lifted its stake in shares of Humana by 81.8% in the 3rd quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP now owns 100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.