Shares of Humana ( HUM) traded sideways from the middle of 2020 but now they look like they finally are breaking out on the upside. Let's drill down into the charts and indicators of the health benefits company to see if this price strength can be sustained in this weak stock market environment.
In this daily bar chart of HUM, below, we can see that prices made a number of rallies to the $470 area before recently breaking out to a new high for the move up. Trading volume has not expanded on achieving these new highs, so old-time chart readers will be a little suspect of the move. Prices are training above the rising 50-day and the bullish 200-day moving average lines. The daily On-Balance-Volume (OBV) line shows a sideways move from February, but in late June the line turns upward ahead of the price breakout into July. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) oscillator is in a bullish alignment above the zero line.
In this weekly Japanese candlestick chart of HUM below, we see a mostly bullish picture. Prices are trading above the rising 40-week moving average line. The latest weekly candle shows us a small real body with upper and lower shadows, suggesting a balance between bulls and bears. A bearish candle pattern this week could turn this into a top reversal pattern. The weekly OBV line shows a rise the past three years and confirms the price strength. The MACD oscillator is in a bullish alignment above the zero line.
In this daily Point and Figure chart of HUM, below, we can see the upside breakout. Here the software projects a possible upside price objective in the $591 area.
In this weekly Point and Figure chart of HUM, below, the software projects that the X's and O's could propel prices to the $627 area.
Bottom line strategy: Traders could go long HUM in the $480-$470 area if available. Risk to $450. The $590-$600 area is our price objective.
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