Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Makes New Investment in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 201,432 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $51,105,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.17% of Humana at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HUM. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Humana in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Humana in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised its holdings in Humana by 56.3% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 125 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Humana during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Atwood & Palmer Inc. grew its position in shares of Humana by 64.5% during the 4th quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 153 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Humana news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,181 shares in the company, valued at $2,096,463.06. This trade represents a 31.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HUM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays raised their target price on Humana from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $290.00 price target on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $285.68.

Humana Trading Down 2.4 %

NYSE HUM opened at $263.95 on Friday. Humana Inc. has a 52 week low of $213.31 and a 52 week high of $406.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $270.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.53, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.57.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($2.16) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.26) by $0.10. Humana had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 11.70%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 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 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.58%.

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.