Humana’s Trading Volume Plunges 45.86% to $260M Ranked 341st in Market Activity Despite Institutional Bullishness

On August 25, 2025, Humana (HUM) traded with a volume of $260 million, a 45.86% decline from the previous day, ranking 341st in market activity. The stock closed down 0.77%, reflecting mixed institutional activity and analyst updates. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management increased its stake in HUM by 1.6%, holding 1.23 million shares valued at $327 million, marking its 28th-largest position. Other institutional investors, including Cary Street Partners and Applied Finance Capital Management, also boosted holdings, with some purchases exceeding 60% in the first quarter. Despite this, 92.38% of shares remain under institutional ownership, highlighting ongoing interest from large investors.

Analyst activity remained dynamic, with recent revisions to price targets and ratings. Piper Sandler and Bank of America lowered their price targets, while Wells Fargo maintained an "overweight" rating. Oppenheimer raised its target to $310, and Wall Street Zen downgraded to "hold." The stock currently carries a consensus "Hold" rating with a $283.29 average target. Humana also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.885 per share, yielding 1.2%, payable on October 31. The payout ratio stands at 27.17%, aligning with its defensive positioning in the healthcare sector.

Performance metrics underscored mixed fundamentals. The stock traded at a 23.02 P/E ratio with a 0.44 beta, below its 52-week high of $382.72 but above the 200-day moving average of $253.73. Recent earnings missed estimates by $0.05, though revenue rose 9.6% year-over-year to $32.39 billion. Institutional selling pressure from entities like Prudential PLC and Neuberger Berman contrasted with net buying by Dimensional Fund Advisors and the National Pension Service.

The strategy of buying the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding them for one day yielded a total profit of $2,940 from December 2021 to August 2025. The maximum drawdown reached -$1,960, with a Sharpe ratio of 1.53. December 2021 was the best month ($840 gain), while August 2025 recorded the worst performance (-$790).