Humana second-quarter profit rises on retail, employer divisions

Health insurer Humana Inc said on Wednesday that its second-quarter profit rose 18 percent, helped by growth in both its direct-to-customer division and the unit that markets plans to employers.

The company, which specializes in private Medicare plans, reported net income of $420 million, or $2.63 per share, up from $356 million, or $2.16 per share, a year earlier.

Revenue rose to $9.7 billion from $9.2 billion.

(Reporting by Caroline Humer; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)