Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the sixteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $364.21.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MOH shares. Guggenheim started coverage on Molina Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Molina Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $295.00 to $372.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $376.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Baird R W lowered Molina Healthcare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $351.00 to $347.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 9th.

Insider Activity at Molina Healthcare

In related news, Director Richard M. Schapiro sold 669 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.50, for a total value of $214,414.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,603,702. This represents a 5.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph M. Zubretsky sold 87,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.06, for a total value of $28,005,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 257,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $82,484,262.90. This represents a 25.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Molina Healthcare

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 126.3% in the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 86 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of Molina Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 930.0% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 60.7% in the 1st quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 90 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elequin Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 170.6% in the 1st quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 92 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 98.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Molina Healthcare Stock Performance

MOH opened at $291.15 on Thursday. Molina Healthcare has a 52-week low of $262.32 and a 52-week high of $365.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $15.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $310.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $306.92.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $6.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.96 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $11.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.86 billion. Molina Healthcare had a return on equity of 28.38% and a net margin of 2.81%. Molina Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.73 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Molina Healthcare

Molina Healthcare, Inc provides managed healthcare services to low-income families and individuals under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. It operates in four segments: Medicaid, Medicare, Marketplace, and Other. The company served in across 19 states. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Long Beach, California.