Palo Alto Investors LP Invests $1.58 Billion in Humana Inc. $HUM

Palo Alto Investors LP bought a new position in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,985 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,582,922,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Montag A & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Humana by 1,880.0% in the fourth quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 99 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Humana during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new stake in Humana in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in Humana in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 92.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Humana Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:HUM opened at $392.72 on Friday. Humana Inc. has a 1 year low of $163.11 and a 1 year high of $428.88. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $385.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $287.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.16 billion, a PE ratio of 37.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.74.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Humana had a return on equity of 11.20% and a net margin of 0.88%.The firm had revenue of $40.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.27 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 9.12 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on HUM shares. HSBC downgraded Humana to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Seaport Research Partners downgraded shares of Humana to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Humana from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $500.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Humana from $316.00 to $393.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $403.91.

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.