Newport Trust Company LLC Lowers Stake in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Newport Trust Company LLC lessened its holdings in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 4.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,145,752 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 52,285 shares during the quarter. Humana comprises 1.1% of Newport Trust Company LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Newport Trust Company LLC owned approximately 0.95% of Humana worth $428,110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in Humana by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 7,970 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,649,000 after buying an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its position in Humana by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,724 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,247,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in Humana during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,099,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in Humana in the fourth quarter worth about $128,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Humana by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 6,840 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,131,000 after buying an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Humana Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:HUM opened at $312.00 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $359.14 and a 200 day moving average of $345.90. The company has a market cap of $37.60 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.50. Humana Inc. has a 12-month low of $298.61 and a 12-month high of $530.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.89 by $1.07. The business had revenue of $29.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.52 billion. Humana had a net margin of 1.53% and a return on equity of 16.12%. The company’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $8.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Humana Inc. will post 16 EPS for the current year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. Humana’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on HUM shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Humana from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Baird R W raised Humana to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Humana in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $374.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $395.00 price target on shares of Humana in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on shares of Humana in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $374.00 price objective for the company. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Humana has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $398.70.

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.