Natixis Purchases 140,101 Shares of The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI)

Natixis grew its stake in shares of The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Free Report) by 186.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 215,315 shares of the health services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 140,101 shares during the quarter. Natixis owned approximately 0.08% of The Cigna Group worth $59,457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in CI. Sterling Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Cigna Group during the 4th quarter valued at $4,367,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in The Cigna Group by 3.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 323,911 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $112,216,000 after acquiring an additional 11,228 shares in the last quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in The Cigna Group by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 75,837 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $20,942,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the period. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Cigna Group by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 56,933 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $15,721,000 after purchasing an additional 1,548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co lifted its holdings in shares of The Cigna Group by 28.3% during the third quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 15,713 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $5,444,000 after purchasing an additional 3,466 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.99% of the company's stock.

The Cigna Group Stock Performance

CI stock traded down $1.27 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $335.42. 546,299 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,692,887. The stock's 50-day moving average is $318.14 and its 200 day moving average is $310.78. The stock has a market cap of $91.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.39, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.51. The Cigna Group has a 52-week low of $262.03 and a 52-week high of $370.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The health services provider reported $6.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.84 by ($1.20). The Cigna Group had a net margin of 1.39% and a return on equity of 18.61%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.79 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Cigna Group will post 29.77 EPS for the current year.

The Cigna Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 3rd will be paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The Cigna Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim assumed coverage on The Cigna Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $384.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $360.00 price target (down previously from $415.00) on shares of The Cigna Group in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of The Cigna Group from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of The Cigna Group from $360.00 to $384.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of The Cigna Group from $403.00 to $379.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Cigna Group presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $373.56.

Insider Activity

In other The Cigna Group news, Director Elder Granger sold 2,376 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.35, for a total transaction of $737,391.60. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,471 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,697,924.85. This trade represents a 30.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO David Cordani sold 26,527 shares of The Cigna Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.12, for a total value of $8,173,499.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 127,767 shares in the company, valued at $39,367,568.04. This trade represents a 17.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 43,751 shares of company stock worth $13,603,991 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

About The Cigna Group

The Cigna Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and related products and services in the United States. Its Evernorth Health Services segment provides a range of coordinated and point solution health services, including pharmacy benefits, home delivery pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, distribution, and care delivery and management solutions to health plans, employers, government organizations, and health care providers.