TD Cowen Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Humana (NYSE:HUM) Stock

Humana (NYSE:HUM) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at TD Cowen from $350.00 to $370.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target suggests a potential upside of 0.70% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on HUM. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Humana from $269.00 to $471.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised Humana from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $227.00 to $502.00 in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on Humana in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Humana in a report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, HSBC downgraded Humana to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $386.61.

Humana Stock Performance

HUM stock traded up $0.77 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $367.43. The stock had a trading volume of 521,401 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,810,491. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $369.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $267.69. Humana has a fifty-two week low of $163.11 and a fifty-two week high of $428.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.11 billion, a PE ratio of 34.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $7.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.27 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $40.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $40.58 billion. Humana had a net margin of 0.88% and a return on equity of 11.20%. Humana’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.27 EPS. Analysts predict that Humana will post 9.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aberdeen Group plc grew its holdings in shares of Humana by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 283,778 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $72,684,000 after purchasing an additional 43,442 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Humana by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 250,330 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $66,207,000 after buying an additional 9,960 shares during the last quarter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Humana by 23.7% in the 4th quarter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC now owns 24,757 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,341,000 after buying an additional 4,740 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its position in Humana by 57.2% during the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 112,501 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $28,815,000 after buying an additional 40,958 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its position in Humana by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 111,803 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $28,636,000 after buying an additional 6,534 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.