Humana (NYSE:HUM) Upgraded by Zacks Research to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Humana (NYSE:HUM) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

HUM has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Humana from $217.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Mizuho upped their price target on Humana from $335.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Raymond James Financial set a $300.00 price target on Humana in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Seaport Research Partners lowered Humana to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Humana from $246.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Humana presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $325.87.

Humana Stock Performance

NYSE HUM opened at $406.70 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $48.83 billion, a PE ratio of 43.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.77. Humana has a 52-week low of $163.11 and a 52-week high of $415.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $345.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $257.26.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $10.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.97 by $0.34. Humana had a net margin of 0.82% and a return on equity of 10.45%. The firm had revenue of $39.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $11.58 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 23.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Humana has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000- EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Humana will post 9.03 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Humana by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,261,860 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,652,890,000 after buying an additional 106,030 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Humana by 113.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,818,008 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,490,239,000 after acquiring an additional 3,097,571 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Humana by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 5,470,982 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $948,614,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398,774 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Humana by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,462,549 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,403,877,000 after purchasing an additional 97,211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Humana by 28.9% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,496,775 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,151,759,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008,514 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.38% of the company’s stock.

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.