Humana Earnings Outlook: Anticipating Updates on Medicare Advantage
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 4 days ago
0mins
Source: Barron's
- Earnings Report: Humana is set to report its fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday.
- Industry Challenges: The insurer and its competitors are facing challenges due to proposed Medicare Advantage payment rates, which previously led to a market selloff.
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Analyst Views on CVS
Wall Street analysts forecast CVS stock price to rise
17 Analyst Rating
16 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 77.930
Low
91.00
Averages
96.71
High
105.00
Current: 77.930
Low
91.00
Averages
96.71
High
105.00
About CVS
CVS Health Corporation is a health solutions company. The Company's segments include Health Care Benefits, Health Services, Pharmacy & Consumer Wellness and Corporate/Other. Health Care Benefits segment offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental and behavioral health plans, PDPs and Medicaid health care management services. Health Services segment provides a full range of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) solutions through its CVS Caremark operations and delivers health care services in its medical clinics, virtually, and in the home. Pharmacy & Consumer Wellness segment dispenses prescriptions in its CVS Pharmacy retail locations and through its infusion operations, provides ancillary pharmacy services including pharmacy patient care programs, diagnostic testing and vaccination administration, and sells a wide assortment of health and wellness products and general merchandise.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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See More
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See More
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- Eli Lilly's Drug Inventory: Eli Lilly has built up $1.5 billion worth of pre-launch inventory for its GLP-1 obesity pill orforglipron, significantly up from $550 million last year, indicating strong demand expectations from the market.
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See More
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- Strong Sales Performance: CVS Health reported sales of $105.69 billion, exceeding the market consensus of $103.59 billion, demonstrating robust performance in a competitive healthcare market and boosting investor confidence.
- Earnings Improvement: Adjusted earnings per share reached $1.09, surpassing analyst estimates of $0.99, although down from $1.19 a year ago, reflecting the company's efforts in cost control and operational efficiency.
- 2026 Financial Guidance: CVS reaffirmed its adjusted earnings guidance for 2026 at $7.00-$7.20 per share, slightly below the consensus of $7.17, indicating confidence in future growth despite facing market challenges.
- Cash Flow Adjustment: The company revised its cash flow from operations guidance down to at least $9.0 billion from a previous estimate of $10.0 billion, reflecting a cautious approach in the current economic environment while maintaining flexibility for future investments and growth.
See More
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- FDA Chaos Impacts Approvals: The biotech sector had a strong performance in 2025, with the XBI index outperforming NVIDIA, yet ongoing chaos at the FDA may lead to longer drug approval cycles, increasing investment risks and affecting industry confidence.
- Executive Warns of Industry Risks: Former FDA oncology head Richard Pasdur warned at the JP Morgan conference that the breach between political appointees and drug reviewers could lead to inconsistent approval standards, creating uncertainty for biotech companies.
- Gene Therapy Approval Delays: Regenxbio's expected approval for a Hunter syndrome drug on February 8 is now unlikely due to a tumor found in a patient during clinical trials, indicating stricter FDA oversight on gene therapies and prompting investor caution.
- Twist Bioscience Shows Recovery: Twist Bioscience reported $104 million in revenue for Q1, despite remaining unprofitable, but reduced cash burn indicates a sustainable growth trend, attracting investor interest amid the biotech downturn.
See More
Analysis of CVS Health Corporation's 13F Holdings
- Holding Analysis: As of the latest 13F filings on December 31, 2025, CVS Health Corporation (CVS) was held by 9 hedge funds, indicating increased market interest in the stock.
- Position Changes: Among these funds, 3 increased their CVS positions while 4 decreased them, suggesting a divergence in market sentiment that could impact stock price volatility.
- Aggregate Share Growth: The total shares held by hedge funds in CVS rose to 276,922,200 as of December 31, 2025, up from 268,351,485 on September 30, 2025, reflecting an increase of 8,570,715 shares or approximately 3.19%, indicating overall bullish sentiment.
- Investor Attention Rising: With the increase in CVS holdings, investors may reassess its market performance, particularly as CVS could emerge as a stock of interest within hedge fund investment strategies.
See More
