22,970 Cigna Group $CI Shares Bought by Howard Capital Management LLC

Howard Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) by 1,187.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 24,904 shares of the health services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,970 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Cigna Group were worth $6,770,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CI. Evercore Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Cigna Group by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Evercore Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,301 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its holdings in shares of Cigna Group by 2.6% in the second quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 1,483 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $409,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. West Family Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cigna Group by 4.2% during the second quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 919 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $253,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Cigna Group by 24.5% during the first quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 203 shares of the health services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maripau Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Cigna Group by 4.0% during the first quarter. Maripau Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,074 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 86.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on CI shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Cigna Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $336.00 to $307.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Cigna Group from $305.00 to $307.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Cigna Group from $338.00 to $361.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Cigna Group in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Evercore started coverage on Cigna Group in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $338.24.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Nicole Jones sold 2,677 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.61, for a total value of $748,515.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,236,306.80. This trade represents a 9.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Everett Neville sold 617 shares of Cigna Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.05, for a total value of $175,258.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,435,304.65. This represents a 10.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 22,730 shares of company stock worth $6,293,359 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Cigna Group Price Performance

Shares of CI stock traded up $3.67 on Friday, reaching $302.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,545,464 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,692,376. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $278.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $281.82. Cigna Group has a 1 year low of $239.51 and a 1 year high of $311.34. The company has a market capitalization of $79.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The health services provider reported $7.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $71.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.14 billion. Cigna Group had a net margin of 2.27% and a return on equity of 19.75%. Cigna Group’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.20 earnings per share. Cigna Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 30.450- EPS. Analysts forecast that Cigna Group will post 30.50 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cigna Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were given a dividend of $1.56 per share. This represents a $6.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 8th. Cigna Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.82%.

Cigna Group Company Profile

The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI) is a global health company that provides health care and related services to individuals, employers, government organizations and health plans. Its operations are primarily organized through Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services, which together address health coverage, pharmacy services, care delivery and benefit management.

Cigna Healthcare offers medical, dental, behavioral health, disability and other benefits, with a focus on employer-sponsored and individual health plans in the United States as well as international health services.