UPDATE: Stifel Nicolaus Initiates Aetna at Buy on Good Market Position

In a report published Tuesday, Stifel Nicolaus analyst Thomas Carroll initiated coverage on Aetna AET with a Buy rating and $80.00 price target.

In the report, Stifel Nicolaus noted, “In our view, Aetna has effectively positioned itself to become a more prominent managed care organization (MCO) in the coming decade. AET shares may be viewed as a lower risk, higher reward investment among MCO stocks into the first full year of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Moreover, we believe the earnings outlook will continue to exceed expectations driven by the Coventry acquisition. We are initiating coverage with a Buy rating on the shares.”

Aetna closed on Monday at $64.49.