Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. Takes $12.61 Million Position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. acquired a new position in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 36,360 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $12,607,000. Humana accounts for 1.2% of Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Humana in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its position in Humana by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 60 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new position in Humana during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Humana in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC lifted its position in shares of Humana by 274.1% in the fourth quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 101 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on HUM shares. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $392.00 price objective on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of Humana to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Humana from $411.00 to $381.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Humana from $427.00 to $396.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price target on Humana from $415.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $409.55.

Humana Price Performance

Shares of Humana stock traded up $0.64 during trading on Friday, hitting $380.37. 276,795 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,766,668. The company has a market cap of $45.83 billion, a PE ratio of 23.64, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $354.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $347.04. Humana Inc. has a twelve month low of $298.61 and a twelve month high of $530.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.12 by $1.11. The business had revenue of $29.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.52 billion. Humana had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 1.82%. Humana’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.38 EPS. Analysts forecast that Humana Inc. will post 16.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be given a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. Humana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.04%.

Humana 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.