Humana (NYSE:HUM) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wolfe Research

Humana (NYSE:HUM) was upgraded by research analysts at Wolfe Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday. William Blair began coverage on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Oppenheimer raised shares of Humana from an “outperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Humana from $290.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $279.30.

Humana Price Performance

Humana stock opened at $349.87 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $42.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.42, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $244.92 and its 200 day moving average is $231.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Humana has a 52-week low of $163.11 and a 52-week high of $351.88.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $10.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.97 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $39.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.37 billion. Humana had a net margin of 0.82% and a return on equity of 10.45%. Humana’s revenue was up 23.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $11.58 earnings per share. Humana has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000- EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Humana will post 9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Humana

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Humana by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 49,658 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $12,920,000 after buying an additional 4,351 shares in the last quarter. Long Focus Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Humana in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,212,000. AMG National Trust Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Humana by 106.5% in the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 16,953 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,411,000 after buying an additional 8,744 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc boosted its holdings in shares of Humana by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 283,778 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $72,684,000 after buying an additional 43,442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Humana in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,735,000. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Humana

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.