Zacks Research Upgrades Humana (NYSE:HUM) to Hold

Humana (NYSE:HUM) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

HUM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Humana from $260.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Humana from $245.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Humana from $285.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on Humana from $290.00 to $201.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Humana from $280.00 to $264.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Humana has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $225.48.

Humana Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE HUM traded down $1.48 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $179.27. 1,149,684 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,185,535. The business has a 50 day moving average of $221.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $252.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.26, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.44. Humana has a 1 year low of $169.61 and a 1 year high of $315.35. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($3.96) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($4.01) by $0.05. Humana had a return on equity of 11.43% and a net margin of 0.92%.The firm had revenue of $32.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($2.16) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Humana has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000-9.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Sanjay K. Shetty acquired 810 shares of Humana stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $185.21 per share, with a total value of $150,020.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 11,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,158,992.97. This trade represents a 7.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HUM. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Humana by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,060 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Unison Advisors LLC increased its stake in Humana by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 10,137 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,646,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its position in Humana by 54.4% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Humana by 3.0% in the third quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,484 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Columbus Macro LLC increased its stake in shares of Humana by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 821 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Humana

Humana Inc (NYSE: HUM) is a health insurance company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that primarily serves individuals and groups across the United States. The company is best known for its Medicare business, offering Medicare Advantage plans and prescription drug (Part D) coverage, alongside a range of commercial and employer-sponsored group health plans. Humana’s products are designed to cover medical, behavioral health and pharmacy needs for members, with particular emphasis on seniors and Medicare-eligible populations.

In addition to traditional insurance products, Humana provides care-management and wellness services intended to support chronic-condition management, preventive care and care coordination.