LPL Financial LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

LPL Financial LLC reduced its stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,579 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 2,061 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Humana were worth $8,266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of HUM. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Humana by 2.1% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,992 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,852,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Humana by 38.2% in the third quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,082 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Humana by 2.1% during the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 65,957 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $20,891,000 after acquiring an additional 1,347 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Humana by 862.9% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 337 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Humana by 8.8% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 59,432 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $18,825,000 after purchasing an additional 4,804 shares during the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HUM opened at $253.37 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $267.58 and a 200 day moving average of $271.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $30.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.62. Humana Inc. has a 12 month low of $213.31 and a 12 month high of $406.46.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($2.16) EPS 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HUM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Humana from $270.00 to $288.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Humana from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Humana currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $280.17.

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.