Baird Upgrades Humana to Outperform from Neutral
Fintel reports that on October 9, 2026, Baird upgraded their outlook for Humana (NYSE:HUM) (XTRA:HUM) from Neutral to Outperform.
Humana Inc., based in the United States, operates primarily within the healthcare industry, focusing on health insurance services. The company manages health care coverage for its members and administers solutions including Medicare Advantage, Prescription Drug Plans, and Tricare. Prior to this rating action, on October 8, 2026, the stock's pre-action close was $387.12. This latest close of $387.12 on October 8, 2026, follows a one-week price change of +1.96% from a baseline close of $379.68 on October 1, 2026. Over a longer period, the stock experienced a one-month price change of -3.96% from a baseline close of $403.09 on September 8, 2026.
Separately from Baird's individual rating, the broader analyst consensus target mean was $429.06 and the median was $428.40 as of October 2, 2026, representing an implied change of +10.83%. This is a revision of +1.04% from the prior consensus target mean of $424.65 on September 15, 2026. According to recommendation data, the current period as of September 1, 2026, shows 8 strong buy, 8 buy, 16 hold, 1 sell, and 0 strong sell recommendations, totaling 33. This represents 48.5% positive, 48.5% hold, and 3.0% negative recommendations. In comparison, the prior period as of August 1, 2026, had 8 strong buy, 8 buy, 15 hold, 2 sell, and 0 strong sell recommendations, representing 48.5% positive, 45.5% hold, and 6.1% negative recommendations.
Humana reported its latest earnings on July 29, 2026, with an actual EPS of 7.61 compared to the estimate of 7.2935, representing a surprise of +4.34%. Actual revenue was $40,867,000,000.00, compared to the estimated $41,016,831,916.00. The company's upcoming earnings date is scheduled for November 6, 2026, during the bmo session. Other recent analyst actions include an upgrade by Cantor Fitzgerald on October 7, 2026, from Neutral to Overweight, and an upgrade by Barclays on September 25, 2026, from Equal-Weight to Overweight. Additionally, Humana filed a Form 8-K with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on September 1, 2026, identifying its principal executive offices at 101 East Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202.
Recent analyst actions
| Date | Analyst | Prior | Latest recommendation | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 9, 2026 | Baird | Neutral | Outperform | upgrade |
| October 7, 2026 | Cantor Fitzgerald | Neutral | Overweight | upgrade |
| September 25, 2026 | Barclays | Equal-Weight | Overweight | upgrade |
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