Brokerages expect that Aetna Inc. (NYSE:AET) will post $2.34 earnings per share for the current quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Six analysts have made estimates for Aetna’s earnings, with the highest EPS estimate coming in at $2.38 and the lowest estimate coming in at $2.28. Aetna posted earnings of $2.21 per share during the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year-over-year growth rate of 5.9%. The business is scheduled to issue its next quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, August 3rd.
According to Zacks, analysts expect that Aetna will report full year earnings of $8.99 per share for the current financial year, with EPS estimates ranging from $8.88 to $9.10. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the firm will report earnings of $9.94 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $9.74 to $10.11. Zacks Investment Research’s EPS calculations are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts that cover Aetna.
Aetna (NYSE:AET) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $15.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.39 billion. Aetna had a net margin of 1.84% and a return on equity of 17.75%. Aetna’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.30 earnings per share.
A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AET shares. CIBC restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Aetna in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Aetna in a research note on Monday, April 24th. Bank of America Corporation restated a “buy” rating and issued a $168.00 price target (up previously from $160.00) on shares of Aetna in a research note on Wednesday, May 17th. Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc. restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Aetna in a research note on Friday, March 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Aetna in a research note on Tuesday, June 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $162.00 price target on the stock. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $152.84.
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In other news, Chairman Mark T. Bertolini sold 103,547 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.79, for a total transaction of $14,578,382.13. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 659,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $92,905,631.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Margaret M. Mccarthy sold 27,028 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.23, for a total value of $4,033,388.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 33,563 shares in the company, valued at $5,008,606.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.
Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America raised its stake in Aetna by 0.7% in the first quarter. Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America now owns 1,353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the period. Concert Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Aetna by 0.4% in the first quarter. Concert Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. CAPROCK Group Inc. raised its stake in Aetna by 0.9% in the first quarter. CAPROCK Group Inc. now owns 2,824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $360,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group raised its stake in Aetna by 1.1% in the first quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 2,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Geneva Advisors LLC raised its stake in Aetna by 1.0% in the first quarter. Geneva Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. 91.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Shares of Aetna (AET) traded down 1.09% during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $153.31. 2,499,591 shares of the stock traded hands. The company has a market capitalization of $50.85 billion, a PE ratio of 46.76 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $147.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $132.57. Aetna has a 12-month low of $104.59 and a 12-month high of $155.93.
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 11th. Aetna’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.31%.
About Aetna
Aetna Inc is a diversified healthcare benefits company. The Company operates through three segments: Health Care, Group Insurance and Large Case Pensions. It offers a range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, medical management capabilities, Medicaid healthcare management services, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans, workers’ compensation administrative services and health information technology (HIT) products and services.
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