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

Humana (NYSE:HUM) had its price target raised by investment analysts at Barclays from $253.00 to $255.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Barclays‘s price target would indicate a potential downside of 10.44% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on HUM. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Humana from $288.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Humana from $349.00 to $250.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Leerink Partnrs lowered shares of Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Bank of America raised Humana from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $247.00 to $308.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $302.80.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of HUM opened at $284.74 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $34.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.22, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.55. The business’s 50 day moving average is $273.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $306.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Humana has a 52-week low of $213.31 and a 52-week high of $411.80.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $4.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.48 by $0.68. The business had revenue of $29.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.66 billion. Humana had a net margin of 1.18% and a return on equity of 13.20%. Analysts forecast that Humana will post 16.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Humana news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.26, for a total value of $948,930.78. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,096,463.06. The trade was a 31.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Humana

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HUM. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in Humana by 244.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 86 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. bought a new stake in Humana during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Humana during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP raised its position in Humana by 81.8% in the 3rd quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP now owns 100 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC boosted its stake in Humana by 1,021.4% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 157 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Humana Company Profile

Humana Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides medical and specialty insurance products in the United States. It operates through two segments, Insurance and CenterWell. The company offers medical and supplemental benefit plans to individuals. It has a contract with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition prescription drug plan program; and contracts with various states to provide Medicaid, dual eligible, and long-term support services benefits.