BidaskClub downgraded shares of Aetna Inc. (NYSE:AET) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Wednesday, July 19th.
Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus restated a buy rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up previously from $130.00) on shares of Aetna in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Aetna from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $143.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a buy rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Aetna in a research note on Monday, April 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a buy rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Aetna in a research note on Friday, May 12th. Finally, Cleveland Research upgraded shares of Aetna from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, May 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $152.84.
Aetna (AET) traded up 0.90% on Wednesday, reaching $155.29. 1,697,272 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.51 billion, a PE ratio of 47.36 and a beta of 0.54. Aetna has a 12 month low of $104.59 and a 12 month high of $157.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $152.90 and a 200 day moving average of $136.75.
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. Equities analysts predict that Aetna will post $8.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: This piece was reported by StockNewsTimes and is the sole property of of StockNewsTimes. If you are accessing this piece on another domain, it was stolen and reposted in violation of US and international copyright and trademark law. The original version of this piece can be accessed at https://stocknewstimes.com/2017/07/29/bidaskclub-lowers-aetna-inc-aet-to-buy-updated.html.
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 13th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 11th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. Aetna’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.31%.
In other news, Chairman Mark T. Bertolini sold 103,547 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.79, for a total value of $14,578,382.13. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 659,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $92,905,631.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margaret M. Mccarthy sold 27,028 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.23, for a total value of $4,033,388.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 33,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,008,606.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.
Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FTB Advisors Inc. raised its position in Aetna by 11.0% in the first quarter. FTB Advisors Inc. now owns 977 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aetna during the first quarter worth approximately $133,000. Liberty Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Aetna by 206.9% in the second quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc. now owns 933 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,000 after buying an additional 629 shares in the last quarter. Horan Capital Management acquired a new position in Aetna during the first quarter worth approximately $157,000. Finally, Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America raised its position 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 worth $173,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. 91.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Aetna Company Profile
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.
Receive News & Ratings for Aetna Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aetna Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
