Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Humana (HUM) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

Read MoreHide Full Article

Humana (HUM - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $481.59, moving -0.02% from the previous trading session. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.7%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.56%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 7.5%.

Coming into today, shares of the health insurer had lost 9.11% in the past month. In that same time, the Medical sector lost 1.89%, while the S&P 500 lost 0.94%.

Humana will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release, which is expected to be February 1, 2023. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.47, up 18.55% from the prior-year quarter. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $22.47 billion, up 6.71% from the year-ago period.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Humana. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. Humana is holding a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell) right now.

Investors should also note Humana's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 17.22. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 16.13.

It is also worth noting that HUM currently has a PEG ratio of 1.22. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. Medical - HMOs stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 0.92 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Medical - HMOs industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 174, putting it in the bottom 31% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow HUM in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Humana Inc. (HUM) - free report >>

Published in