J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Sells 74 Shares of The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. cut its stake in The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,987 shares of the health services provider’s stock after selling 74 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in The Cigna Group were worth $549,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sterling Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in The Cigna Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,367,000. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc grew its position in The Cigna Group by 3,669.7% during the third quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 24,013 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $8,319,000 after buying an additional 23,376 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $112,216,000 after buying an additional 11,228 shares during the period. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in The Cigna Group by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 75,837 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $20,942,000 after buying an additional 858 shares during the period. Finally, Trinity Street Asset Management LLP grew its position in The Cigna Group by 7.1% during the third quarter. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP now owns 81,411 shares of the health services provider’s stock valued at $28,204,000 after buying an additional 5,397 shares during the period. 86.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on CI shares. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $348.00 target price (down from $394.00) on shares of The Cigna Group in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens lowered their price target on shares of The Cigna Group from $410.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of The Cigna Group from $403.00 to $379.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lowered 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of The Cigna Group from $410.00 to $390.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Cigna Group presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $373.69.

The Cigna Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CI opened at $297.27 on Thursday. The Cigna Group has a fifty-two week low of $262.03 and a fifty-two week high of $370.83. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $285.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $319.92. The firm has a market cap of $82.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.54.

The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The health services provider reported $6.64 EPS 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.79 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Cigna Group will post 29.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Cigna Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. This is a positive change from The Cigna Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. The Cigna Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.35%.

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.