Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Sells 78 Shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 845 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 78 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Humana were worth $387,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HUM. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its stake in Humana by 2.6% in the third quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 817 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Humana by 2.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 805 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc grew its stake in Humana by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 8,292 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,247,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN boosted its position in Humana by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 343 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Humana by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 582 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE HUM opened at $323.46 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $344.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $425.71. The firm has a market cap of $39.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.32, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Humana Inc. has a 52-week low of $299.23 and a 52-week high of $541.21.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The insurance provider reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.87). The business had revenue of $26.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.47 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 2.34%. The business’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. Research analysts predict that Humana Inc. will post 16.06 EPS for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Humana’s payout ratio is currently 17.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on HUM shares. Argus cut Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Barclays dropped their target price on Humana from $356.00 to $310.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $391.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com cut Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Stephens lowered their price objective on Humana from $550.00 to $430.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $465.42.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita bought 545 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $367.09 per share, for a total transaction of $200,064.05. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

About Humana

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.