Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Position Lessened by Bleakley Financial Group LLC

Bleakley Financial Group LLC lowered its position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 20.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 4,409 shares during the quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Humana were worth $8,022,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mariner LLC raised its position in Humana by 2.3% during the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 14,119 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,869,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Humana by 27.5% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 27,943 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,595,000 after purchasing an additional 6,034 shares during the last quarter. Silverarc Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Humana in the third quarter worth $4,865,000. Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Humana by 43.3% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 27,993 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $12,815,000 after purchasing an additional 8,455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its position in Humana by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 64,573 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,563,000 after buying an additional 5,672 shares during the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Humana Price Performance

NYSE:HUM traded up $0.69 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $313.80. The company had a trading volume of 142,503 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,070,104. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $353.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $435.17. Humana Inc. has a one year low of $299.23 and a one year high of $541.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.86 billion, a PE ratio of 15.80, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.45.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The insurance provider reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.87). The firm had revenue of $26.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.47 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 2.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.62 EPS. Analysts forecast that Humana Inc. will post 16.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is 17.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on HUM shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Humana from $413.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Humana from $507.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $391.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $630.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $465.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Humana news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita bought 545 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.