Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Short Interest Up 6.2% in September

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,240,000 shares, an increase of 6.2% from the August 31st total of 2,110,000 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,280,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on HUM shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 price target on shares of Humana in a report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Humana from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Humana from $396.00 to $407.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Humana from $332.00 to $396.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Humana from $355.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $398.70.

Humana Stock Down 11.8 %

Humana stock opened at $279.42 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $33.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a fifty day moving average of $346.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $343.73. Humana has a twelve month low of $276.80 and a twelve month high of $530.54.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.89 by $1.07. Humana had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 1.53%. The firm had revenue of $29.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $8.94 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Humana will post 16.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. Humana’s payout ratio is currently 22.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HUM. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in Humana by 111.4% in the second quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 74 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Humana in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in Humana during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hollencrest Capital Management acquired a new position in Humana during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the second quarter worth $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Company Profile

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.