Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Stake Boosted by Artisan Partners Limited Partnership

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 83.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 673,715 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 306,433 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in Humana were worth $170,928,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HUM. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Humana during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Humana during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA increased its holdings in Humana by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 125 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Humana in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Atwood & Palmer Inc. grew its stake in Humana by 64.5% in the fourth quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 153 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Stock Performance

NYSE HUM opened at $270.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $270.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $274.97. Humana Inc. has a 1 year low of $213.31 and a 1 year high of $406.46.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($2.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.26) by $0.10. Humana had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 11.70%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 EPS for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a $0.885 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Humana’s payout ratio is 35.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HUM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $283.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Humana from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $290.00 price target on shares of Humana in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Humana from $270.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $285.68.

Insider Transactions at Humana

In other Humana news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.26, for a total transaction of $948,930.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,096,463.06. This trade represents a 31.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.