Royal Bank Of Canada Lowers Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Price Target to $218.00

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) had its price objective dropped by Royal Bank Of Canada from $248.00 to $218.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “sector perform” rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price target indicates a potential upside of 10.99% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $230.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group increased their price target on Molina Healthcare from $180.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $124.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $286.00 price target on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $146.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.94.

Molina Healthcare Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:MOH traded down $3.88 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $196.41. The company had a trading volume of 194,448 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,539,293. The stock has a market cap of $10.23 billion, a PE ratio of -1,092.85 and a beta of 0.74. Molina Healthcare has a 1-year low of $121.06 and a 1-year high of $244.89. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $205.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $176.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.12. Molina Healthcare had a negative net margin of 0.02% and a positive return on equity of 3.74%. The business had revenue of $10.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare will post 5.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jeff D. Barlow sold 17,811 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $12,502,611. This trade represents a 20.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Maurice Hebert sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total transaction of $114,930.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,454,713.25. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 217.0% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,934,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $561,475,000 after acquiring an additional 2,008,458 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,171,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $376,831,000 after buying an additional 201,772 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,690,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $293,453,000 after acquiring an additional 329,679 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 46.4% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,410,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,796,000 after purchasing an additional 447,078 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Molina Healthcare by 23.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,394,882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $185,929,000 after purchasing an additional 267,121 shares in the last quarter. 98.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Molina Healthcare News

Here are the key news stories impacting Molina Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Molina beat Q2 adjusted EPS estimates, posting $1.51 per share versus expectations around $1.37-$1.39, and revenue also slightly topped forecasts at $10.87 billion. The company also raised its full-year earnings outlook, which suggests management still sees some profitability improvement ahead. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts maintained an overall “Hold” consensus on MOH, signaling that Wall Street sees limited near-term upside after the earnings report despite the beat. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call commentary highlighted solid Medicaid performance, helping offset some pressure in the broader results and giving investors more confidence that that segment is stabilizing. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Shares were pressured by weaker premium revenue, declining membership, and a higher medical care ratio, which pointed to margin strain and a drop in profitability versus last year. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were also worried about Molina’s exchange/Obamacare business, with reports saying the company expects to cut its Obamacare presence roughly in half, adding to concerns about growth and enrollment trends. Article Title

Molina Healthcare Company Profile

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.