Axiom Advisory LLC Has $1.16 Million Stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Axiom Advisory LLC grew its position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 1.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,648 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Axiom Advisory LLC’s holdings in Humana were worth $1,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Humana by 111.4% in the 2nd quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 74 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Humana in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Humana in the second quarter worth $35,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Humana during the second quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management bought a new position in Humana in the second quarter valued at $40,000. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Humana Stock Performance

NYSE HUM opened at $243.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $334.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $342.37. Humana Inc. has a 12-month low of $213.31 and a 12-month high of $530.54. The company has a market capitalization of $29.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.89 by $1.07. The business had revenue of $29.54 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.94 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Humana Inc. will post 16.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is 22.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on HUM shares. Bank of America cut shares of Humana from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $376.00 to $247.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Humana from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $308.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Humana from $332.00 to $396.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Leerink Partners cut Humana from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $400.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Humana in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $374.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $324.86.

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.