Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Reduces Holdings in Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,289 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 220 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Humana were worth $581,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Humana during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Humana during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its holdings in Humana by 56.3% during the fourth quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 125 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Humana in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Atwood & Palmer Inc. raised its stake in shares of Humana by 64.5% in the fourth quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 153 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Humana Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE HUM opened at $270.04 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.57. Humana Inc. has a 12-month low of $213.31 and a 12-month high of $406.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $270.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.93.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported ($2.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.26) by $0.10. Humana had a return on equity of 11.70% and a net margin of 1.02%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.885 per share. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Humana’s payout ratio is 35.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on HUM shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective 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. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Humana in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Humana from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Humana from $270.00 to $288.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Humana from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Humana currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $285.68.

Insider Buying and Selling at Humana

In related news, insider Timothy S. Huval sold 3,703 shares of Humana stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.26, for a total transaction of $948,930.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,096,463.06. The trade was a 31.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

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.