Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH) shares gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $184.14, but opened at $177.38. Molina Healthcare shares last traded at $174.94, with a volume of 72,158 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on MOH shares. Mizuho cut their price target on Molina Healthcare from $220.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Molina Healthcare from $144.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Molina Healthcare from $124.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $129.00 price target on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Molina Healthcare from $161.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Molina Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $178.53.

Molina Healthcare Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $9.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.55 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $162.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $160.52.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.78. The business had revenue of $10.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.91 billion. Molina Healthcare had a return on equity of 8.76% and a net margin of 0.42%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.08 earnings per share. Molina Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000- EPS. On average, analysts expect that Molina Healthcare, Inc will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Maurice Hebert sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total value of $114,930.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,454,713.25. The trade was a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeff D. Barlow sold 17,811 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.12, for a total value of $3,314,983.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 67,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,502,611. The trade was a 20.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Molina Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. ARGA Investment Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 1.4% in the first quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 4,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 23.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 5.7% in the third quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 64.5% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 0.7% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 13,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,616,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 98.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.