Humana (NYSE:HUM) Hits New 12-Month High After Analyst Upgrade

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after Evercore raised their price target on the stock from $250.00 to $370.00. The company traded as high as $369.34 and last traded at $365.8880, with a volume of 959547 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $363.18.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Humana in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $254.00 target price (up from $182.00) on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Bank of America upped their target price on Humana from $267.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Humana in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Humana from $264.00 to $205.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Humana presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $291.35.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its stake in Humana by 9.6% during the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 49,658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $12,920,000 after acquiring an additional 4,351 shares in the last quarter. Long Focus Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Humana during the third quarter worth $34,212,000. AMG National Trust Bank raised its stake in Humana by 106.5% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 16,953 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,411,000 after acquiring an additional 8,744 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc raised its stake in Humana by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 283,778 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $72,684,000 after acquiring an additional 43,442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in Humana during the third quarter worth $4,735,000. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Humana Stock Up 2.9%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $267.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.76.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $10.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.97 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $39.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.37 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 10.45% and a net margin of 0.82%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $11.58 earnings per share. Humana has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Humana Inc. will post 9.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.86%.

Humana Company Profile

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.