The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on CI. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of The Cigna Group from $420.00 to $339.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stephens cut their price objective on shares of The Cigna Group from $410.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $360.00 price objective (down previously from $415.00) on shares of The Cigna Group in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on The Cigna Group from $370.00 to $341.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $373.25.

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The Cigna Group Stock Up 0.6 %

CI traded up $1.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $330.97. 1,669,139 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,656,670. The stock has a market cap of $90.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $306.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $313.00. The Cigna Group has a twelve month low of $262.03 and a twelve month high of $370.83.

The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The health services provider reported $6.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.79 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that The Cigna Group will post 29.77 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Elder Granger sold 2,376 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.35, for a total value of $737,391.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,471 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,697,924.85. This 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 can be accessed 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 transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 43,751 shares of company stock worth $13,603,991 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in The Cigna Group by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 11,556,278 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $3,191,151,000 after purchasing an additional 501,320 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of The Cigna Group by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 8,054,959 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $2,224,296,000 after buying an additional 154,420 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in The Cigna Group by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,957,180 shares of the health services provider's stock valued at $1,640,878,000 after buying an additional 101,737 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC boosted its position in The Cigna Group by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 4,021,582 shares of the health services provider's stock worth $1,110,520,000 after buying an additional 737,099 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in The Cigna Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $867,785,000. 86.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.