SG Americas Securities LLC Increases Stake in Humana Inc. $HUM

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 51.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 39,220 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,387 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Humana were worth $10,204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUM. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Humana in the second quarter worth approximately $397,079,000. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 661.7% in the 2nd quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. now owns 1,038,703 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $253,942,000 after purchasing an additional 902,340 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox lifted its position in shares of Humana by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 11,352,920 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,775,562,000 after purchasing an additional 597,705 shares during the last quarter. 8 Knots Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Humana by 671.0% during the second quarter. 8 Knots Management LLC now owns 441,623 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $107,968,000 after purchasing an additional 384,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc grew its stake in shares of Humana by 179.5% during the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 580,943 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $142,029,000 after purchasing an additional 373,071 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:HUM opened at $276.79 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.29 billion, a PE ratio of 25.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.45. Humana Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.87 and a 52-week high of $315.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $254.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $262.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $3.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $32.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.99 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 12.86% and a net margin of 1.02%.The company’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.16 earnings per share. On average, 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, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a $0.885 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Humana’s payout ratio is currently 33.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on HUM shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Humana from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $253.00 to $313.00 in a research note on Friday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Humana from $235.00 to $215.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Barclays restated an “underperformer” rating on shares of Humana in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Humana from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Humana from $280.00 to $264.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Humana currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $292.05.

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.