Zacks Research Has Bullish Forecast for Humana Q1 Earnings

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Humana in a research note issued on Wednesday, February 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the insurance provider will earn $9.04 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $7.98. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong Sell” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Humana’s current full-year earnings is $16.47 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Humana’s Q2 2026 earnings at $3.46 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.02 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($2.61) EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.91 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $8.99 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $6.35 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.71 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($1.87) EPS and FY2027 earnings at $14.17 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $180.00 price target on Humana and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Humana from $260.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut Humana from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $322.00 to $189.00 in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Humana from $280.00 to $264.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Humana in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $225.48.

Humana Stock Performance

NYSE HUM opened at $186.88 on Friday. Humana has a 1-year low of $169.61 and a 1-year high of $315.35. The company has a 50 day moving average of $230.72 and a 200-day moving average of $256.54. The company has a current ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $22.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.44.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($3.96) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($4.01) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $32.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.08 billion. Humana had a net margin of 0.92% and a return on equity of 11.43%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($2.16) EPS. Humana has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000-9.000 EPS.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, March 27th 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 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 27th. Humana’s payout ratio is 36.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Humana news, insider Sanjay K. Shetty acquired 810 shares of Humana stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $185.21 per share, with a total value of $150,020.10. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 11,657 shares in the company, valued at $2,158,992.97. The trade was a 7.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.37% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Humana

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Humana during the fourth quarter worth $202,000. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of Humana by 460.0% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 10,192 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,697,000 after buying an additional 8,372 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Humana by 53.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,293 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 452 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Humana by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,983 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $485,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Humana in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,523,000. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Humana

Here are the key news stories impacting Humana this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Insider buying: Humana insider Sanjay Shetty purchased 810 shares at about $185.21, increasing his stake ~7.5% — a classic signal of insider confidence that can support near‑term sentiment. Insider Buying
• Positive Sentiment: CenterWell expansion: Humana’s CenterWell acquired a Florida primary-care network, expanding its direct-care footprint and supporting longer‑term membership and care‑coordination strategies that investors reward. Acquisition Article
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend + institutional inflows: The company declared a quarterly dividend (annualized ~$3.54, ~2.0% yield) and filings show large institutional buying from groups like Capital International, MFS and Norges Bank — both items support demand for the stock. MarketBeat Humana
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor presentation scheduled: CEO Jim Rechtin and CFO Celeste Mellet will present at the Leerink Partners Global Healthcare Conference on March 10; management commentary could move the shares depending on tone and new disclosures. Conference Notice
• Neutral Sentiment: Local operations/profile piece: A regional profile on Humana Group Benefits in San Antonio highlights relationship-driven growth but is unlikely to move the stock materially. Local Profile
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and cuts: Barclays cut its price target to $176 and kept an equal‑weight rating; other shops (Zacks, Leerink, Weiss) have issued cautious or negative notes — analyst tone is pressuring sentiment and caps upside. Barclays PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks / peer comparison: Zacks’ commentary and comparative pieces argue UnitedHealth (UNH) has better upside given scale versus Humana, and Zacks moved to a more bearish stance — a headwind for investors seeking sector winners. Zacks Comparison

About Humana

Humana Inc (NYSE: HUM) is a health insurance company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that primarily serves individuals and groups across the United States. The company is best known for its Medicare business, offering Medicare Advantage plans and prescription drug (Part D) coverage, alongside a range of commercial and employer-sponsored group health plans. Humana’s products are designed to cover medical, behavioral health and pharmacy needs for members, with particular emphasis on seniors and Medicare-eligible populations.

In addition to traditional insurance products, Humana provides care-management and wellness services intended to support chronic-condition management, preventive care and care coordination.