Zacks Research Weighs in on Humana’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:HUM)

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Humana in a note issued to investors on Friday, March 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the insurance provider will earn $9.05 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $9.04. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Humana’s current full-year earnings is $16.47 per share.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on HUM. Morgan Stanley set a $146.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays cut their price target on Humana from $245.00 to $176.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Humana from $310.00 to $235.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Leerink Partners decreased their price target on shares of Humana from $267.00 to $185.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $225.48.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of HUM opened at $178.25 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.00. Humana has a twelve month low of $169.61 and a twelve month high of $315.35. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $220.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $251.18. The firm has a market cap of $21.50 billion, a PE ratio of 18.15, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.44.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($3.96) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($4.01) by $0.05. The business had revenue of $32.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.08 billion. Humana had a net margin of 0.92% and a return on equity of 11.43%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($2.16) earnings per share. Humana has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000-9.000 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Humana by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,261,860 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,652,890,000 after buying an additional 106,030 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox grew its position in Humana by 5.6% in the second quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 11,352,920 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,775,562,000 after acquiring an additional 597,705 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its stake in Humana by 113.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,818,008 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,490,239,000 after acquiring an additional 3,097,571 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Humana by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,462,549 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,403,877,000 after acquiring an additional 97,211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Humana by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,496,775 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,151,759,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008,514 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Humana

In other Humana news, insider Sanjay K. Shetty bought 810 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $185.21 per share, with a total value of $150,020.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 11,657 shares in the company, valued at $2,158,992.97. The trade was a 7.47% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 27th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.05%.

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.