Zacks Research Issues Positive Estimate for Humana Earnings

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) – Research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Humana in a report released on Tuesday, September 29th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the insurance provider will post earnings of ($1.13) per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of ($1.18). Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Humana’s current full-year earnings is $9.01 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Humana’s Q4 2026 earnings at ($7.75) EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.05 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at ($1.21) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($1.99) EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.23 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $29.45 EPS.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on HUM. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Humana in a report on Thursday, July 30th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Lake Street Capital began coverage on shares of Humana in a report on Thursday, July 30th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Humana from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Humana from $246.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded Humana from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Humana currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $408.61.

Humana Stock Up 2.3%

HUM opened at $388.40 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.74. The company has a market cap of $46.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.75, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74. Humana has a one year low of $163.11 and a one year high of $428.88. The business’s fifty day moving average is $385.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $325.32.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The insurance provider reported $7.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.27 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $40.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $40.58 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 11.20% and a net margin of 0.88%.Humana’s revenue was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.27 earnings per share.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a $0.8850 dividend. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. Humana’s payout ratio is presently 33.49%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HUM. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Humana during the second quarter worth about $4,138,160,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Humana in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,749,014,000. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Humana by 113.9% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,818,008 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,490,239,000 after acquiring an additional 3,097,571 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Humana by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,094,570 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $536,482,000 after acquiring an additional 376,803 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Humana in the second quarter worth approximately $329,760,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Key Humana News

Here are the key news stories impacting Humana this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $9.05 from $9.00 and its FY2027 forecast to $11.23 from $10.98. The firm also slightly improved its Q3 2026 and Q4 2027 estimates, suggesting some confidence in Humana’s earnings recovery. Zacks Research earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Humana is expanding Medicare Advantage choices and specialized-care options for 2027 while emphasizing affordability. The offerings could support member retention and enrollment during the annual open-enrollment period. Humana 2027 Medicare Advantage plans
• Neutral Sentiment: Humana is scheduled to report third-quarter results on November 6, during Medicare Advantage open enrollment. Investors may focus on medical costs, membership trends and the financial impact of plan changes. Humana third-quarter earnings date
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research reduced its Q3 2028 EPS estimate to $6.58 from $6.73 and its FY2028 estimate to $29.45 from $30.30. The cuts temper the longer-term outlook, although the changes are relatively small. Humana long-term earnings estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Forecasts still call for significant seasonal losses in Q3 and Q4 2026, including estimated EPS of negative $1.13 and negative $7.75, respectively. This highlights ongoing earnings volatility and healthcare-cost risks. Humana earnings estimate report

About Humana

Humana Inc is a health and well-being company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Founded in 1961, the company began as a nursing home operator before expanding into hospitals and health insurance. Today, Humana primarily provides health insurance products and healthcare services for older adults, individuals, military families and other members in the United States.

Humana’s insurance business offers Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and prescription drug plans, as well as Medicaid coverage in select markets.