GAMMA Investing LLC Takes Position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 360 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $165,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 21 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Humana by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 805 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN increased 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 purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc increased its position in Humana by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 609 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its position in Humana by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 2,926 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,424,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jorge S. Mesquita purchased 545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $367.09 per share, with a total value of $200,064.05. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,358.02. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of HUM stock opened at $305.91 on Friday. Humana Inc. has a one year low of $299.23 and a one year high of $541.21. The company’s 50-day moving average is $327.77 and its 200 day moving average is $394.49. The company has a market capitalization of $36.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.67.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.12 by $1.11. The firm had revenue of $29.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.52 billion. Humana had a net margin of 1.82% and a return on equity of 17.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.38 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 16.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. Humana’s payout ratio is presently 22.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Humana in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $342.00 price objective (down from $470.00) on shares of Humana in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Humana from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Humana from $334.00 to $326.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on shares of Humana from $391.00 to $360.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $433.74.

Humana 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.