Humana (NYSE:HUM) Stock Dropped to Hold by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Humana (NYSE:HUM) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Sunday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Humana from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $460.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Humana from $515.00 to $582.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Mizuho increased their target price on Humana from $468.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Humana from $316.00 to $393.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Humana in a report on Friday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Humana currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $453.30.

Humana Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Humana stock opened at $414.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.74. The company has a market capitalization of $49.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.74. Humana has a 1 year low of $163.11 and a 1 year high of $456.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $400.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $308.70.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.8850 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 24th. Humana’s payout ratio is presently 33.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Humana during the 2nd quarter worth $1,412,000. Vista Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Humana during the third quarter worth $3,254,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Humana by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 70,185 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,879,000 after acquiring an additional 6,690 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Humana in the second quarter worth approximately $1,749,014,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Humana in the 2nd quarter worth $1,709,000. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

About Humana

Humana Inc is a health and well-being company that provides insurance products and health care services in the United States and Puerto Rico. The company’s primary business is government-sponsored health coverage, particularly Medicare Advantage plans for older adults, along with Medicare prescription drug plans, Medicaid coverage and certain commercial health insurance products.

Humana also operates CenterWell, its health care services platform focused on older adults. CenterWell includes primary care clinics, home health services and pharmacy services, with an emphasis on coordinated care, chronic-condition management and helping members receive care in lower-cost settings.

Founded in 1961 as a nursing-home company, Humana expanded into hospital operations before shifting its focus toward health insurance and related services.