Key facts
- Analysts on average expected 2026 profit of $9.15 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.
- Humana said it expects medical costs to remain in check during the year.
- CEO Jim Rechtin said Humana is driving financial and operating performance toward being ahead of its plan.
- Humana is expanding Medicare Advantage enrollment while rivals retreat, the report said.
Humana raised its full-year adjusted profit forecast to at least $9.50 per share on November 6, from at least $9 per share previously, saying it expects medical costs to remain in check during the year. Analysts on average expected 2026 profit of $9.15 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.
The company reported a quarterly medical cost ratio, the percentage of premiums spent on medical care, of 93.7%. Analysts expected a ratio of 94.39%.
Humana is one of the largest providers of Medicare Advantage plans for older adults and people with disabilities. According to the report, it is expanding enrollment in these plans while rivals pull back, and it emerged as the biggest beneficiary of the new 2027 Medicare Advantage star ratings, which affect the government's bonus payments to insurers in 2028.
"Humana is delivering positive results for our members, our patients and their health," CEO Jim Rechtin said. "We are also increasingly driving financial and operating performance toward being 'ahead' of our plan."