Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $143.36, but opened at $147.75. Molina Healthcare shares last traded at $142.6010, with a volume of 343,540 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MOH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price target on Molina Healthcare from $164.00 to $133.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Molina Healthcare from $167.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $160.00 price target on Molina Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. UBS Group set a $173.00 price target on Molina Healthcare in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $141.00 price target on Molina Healthcare and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Molina Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $169.21.

Molina Healthcare Trading Up 0.0%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $147.81 and a 200-day moving average of $162.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current ratio of 1.69. The stock has a market cap of $7.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.71 and a beta of 0.55.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported ($2.75) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($3.18). Molina Healthcare had a return on equity of 13.60% and a net margin of 1.04%.The firm had revenue of $11.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.05 EPS. Molina Healthcare’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Molina Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000- EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Molina Healthcare, Inc will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Molina Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Miller Global Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Molina Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 211.9% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Molina Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management increased its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 4,625.0% during the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 189 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.50% of the company’s stock.

About Molina Healthcare

Molina Healthcare, Inc is a managed care company specializing in government-sponsored health insurance programs. The company offers Medicaid managed care plans, Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, and individual Marketplace plans under the Affordable Care Act. Through an integrated care model, Molina emphasizes preventive and primary care services, care coordination, and disease management to improve health outcomes for its members.

The company traces its roots to the early 1980s, when Dr.