U.S. health insurer Humana is the only major stock in the world that has risen more than 10% in each of the past decade. CNBC Pro screened over 85,000 global stocks and found that Humana is the only one with such a consistent return since January 2013. The company was founded in Kentucky in 1961 as a nursing home. It has grown since then, turning first to hospitals before finding its way into health insurance in the 1980s. Today, Humana is one of the largest providers of the U.S. government-sponsored “Medicare Advantage” health insurance plan. Aside from a 20% drop in shares in 2012, the company has historically delivered steady stock returns, in part due to losses from regulatory changes following the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. The company reported that its medical loss ratio (MLR) — an insurance premium that measures patient costs — nearly doubled during the year. However, the stock bounced back with a 52% gain the following year and has provided investors with double-digit returns every year since. Shares of the health insurer also outperformed the broader market in 2022 and 2018, when the S&P 500 turned negative twice. Shares of Humana have underperformed the broader market this year, while the U.S. benchmark has risen nearly 14%. Looking ahead, the consensus price target of 24 analysts on the stock, which trades as HUM on the New York Stock Exchange, points to a 19% upside potential over the next 12 months, according to FactSet. HUM 1Y Line Most analysts are bullish on the company’s stock. Here’s what some are saying: Deutsche Bank equity analyst George Hill raised the bank’s price target to $568 (up 10%) on April 26. A rare growth stock that is unrelated to most growth stocks. JP Morgan Lisa Gill reiterated the bank’s Overweight rating on April 26 with a price target of $505 (up 1.2%). “HUM delivered solid gains despite some concerns about potential MA cost pressures heading into the quarter As a result, we think the outlook for the rest of the year is conservative enough as the company is guiding for its FY23 MLR range for the first half of the year. UBS Kevin Caliendo reiterated Buy rating and $620 price target on the Swiss bank on April 26. Market and industry-leading star rating.” RBC Capital Markets Ben Hendrix on April 27 canceled the bank Outperform rating and $637 price target. Market share will continue to increase as the shopping behavior of MA consumers picks up. Humana is also Morgan Stanley’s top pick in the “healthcare facilities and managed care” sector. The investment bank maintained an “Online” or Hold rating on the stock with a $637 price target. Analysts at Jefferies wrote on April 27. Day raised the target price to $614 and gave a buy rating.