Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) Short Interest Down 6.2% in August

by · The Cerbat Gem

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM – Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,110,000 shares, a drop of 6.2% from the August 15th total of 2,250,000 shares. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,190,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on HUM. Robert W. Baird began coverage on Humana in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $374.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Humana from $370.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Humana from $341.00 to $349.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Baird R W raised Humana to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Humana in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $392.00 target price for the company. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $398.70.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Humana

Humana Stock Up 0.9 %

HUM stock traded up $2.86 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $314.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 556,322 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,634,853. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $361.77 and its 200-day moving average is $346.39. The company has a market cap of $37.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Humana has a 12 month low of $298.61 and a 12 month high of $530.54.

Humana (NYSE:HUM – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.89 by $1.07. The firm had revenue of $29.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.52 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 1.53%. The company’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.94 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Humana will post 16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. Humana’s payout ratio is 22.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Humana

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Humana by 1,219.0% in the 2nd quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 1,319 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,219 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Humana in the 2nd quarter worth $3,341,000. Clear Rock Advisors LLC increased its stake in Humana by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Clear Rock Advisors LLC now owns 5,250 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,962,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Oak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Humana in the 2nd quarter worth $3,456,000. Finally, Ariadne Wealth Management LP purchased a new stake in Humana in the 2nd quarter worth $134,000. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Humana

(Get Free Report)

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.

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