Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Humana Call Options (NYSE:HUM)

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 9,903 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 32% compared to the typical daily volume of 7,492 call options.

Institutional Trading of Humana

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HUM. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Humana during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Humana during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA boosted its holdings in shares of Humana by 56.3% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 125 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Humana in the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Humana during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on HUM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Humana from $257.00 to $256.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $290.00 target price on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Humana from $301.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Humana from $270.00 to $288.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $283.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Humana has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $288.60.

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Humana Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE HUM traded up $4.72 during trading on Friday, reaching $294.97. The company had a trading volume of 1,674,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,751,127. Humana has a 12-month low of $213.31 and a 12-month high of $406.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The business's 50-day moving average is $265.55 and its 200 day moving average is $270.65. The stock has a market cap of $35.60 billion, a PE ratio of 29.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.62.

Humana (NYSE:HUM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($2.16) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts forecast that Humana will post 16.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a $0.885 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. Humana's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.58%.

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.