Aetna Inc (NYSE:AET) released its earnings results on Monday. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.16, AnalystRatingsNetwork.com reports. The firm had revenue of $15.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 EPS.

In related news, EVP Margaret M. Mccarthy sold 18,373 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.97, for a total transaction of $2,020,478.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 63,515 shares in the company, valued at $6,984,744.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark T. Bertolini sold 26,996 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.00, for a total value of $2,969,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 729,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,211,340. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Aetna (NYSE:AET) opened at 103.37 on Tuesday. Aetna has a 52 week low of $91.83 and a 52 week high of $134.40. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $107.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $110.55. The company has a market capitalization of $36.05 billion and a PE ratio of 15.85.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 14th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 12th. This is an increase from Aetna’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Aetna from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, January 25th. Leerink Swann reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Aetna in a research report on Monday, November 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Aetna from $144.00 to $141.00 in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Jefferies Group downgraded shares of Aetna from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $135.00 to $122.00 in a research report on Friday, January 8th. Finally, RBC Capital decreased their target price on shares of Aetna from $162.00 to $146.00 in a research report on Friday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Aetna presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $136.18.

Aetna Inc. is a diversified health care benefits company. The Company offers a range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services. The Company’s operations are conducted in three business segments: Health Care, Group Insurance and Large Case Pensions. The Company’s Health Care segment includes medical, pharmacy benefit management services, dental, behavioral health and vision plans. The Company’s Group Insurance segment’s products consist primarily of Life Insurance Products, Disability Insurance Products and Long-Term Care Insurance Products. The Company’s Large Case Pensions segment manages a variety of retirement products (NYSE:AET) primarily for tax-qualified pension plans. The Company’s customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, Governmental units, Government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates.

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