Benjamin Edwards Inc. Sells 79 Shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 32.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 164 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 79 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Humana were worth $75,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in Humana by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 60 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new stake in Humana during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Nvwm LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Humana by 41.0% during the third quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on HUM shares. Argus downgraded Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $342.00 target price (down previously from $470.00) on shares of Humana in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on shares of Humana from $391.00 to $360.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Humana from $411.00 to $381.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $424.50.

Insider Transactions at Humana

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita purchased 545 shares of the company’s 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 purchase, the director now owns 2,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $946,358.02. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Humana Price Performance

Humana stock opened at $320.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.67. Humana Inc. has a 52 week low of $298.61 and a 52 week high of $541.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $324.12 and a 200-day moving average of $388.34.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.12 by $1.11. Humana had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 1.82%. The firm had revenue of $29.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.38 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 16.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. Humana’s 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.