Barr E S & Co. Sells 115 Shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Barr E S & Co. decreased its position in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 975 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 115 shares during the period. Barr E S & Co.’s holdings in Humana were worth $247,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HUM. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Humana by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,829,210 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,254,899,000 after purchasing an additional 1,751,857 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Humana by 44.0% in the fourth quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 3,609,382 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $915,736,000 after buying an additional 1,103,132 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Humana by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,883,614 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $729,658,000 after buying an additional 63,562 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Humana by 29.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,397,808 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $608,348,000 after buying an additional 550,692 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Humana during the 4th quarter worth about $416,202,000. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Stock Performance

Shares of HUM opened at $294.97 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $265.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $270.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76. Humana Inc. has a twelve month low of $213.31 and a twelve month high of $406.46. The firm has a market cap of $35.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.65, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Humana Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Humana from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $283.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays lifted their target price on Humana from $270.00 to $322.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Guggenheim started coverage on Humana in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $326.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Humana from $305.00 to $316.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $288.60.

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.