Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Stock Gets Price Target Boost from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised Molina Healthcare’s price target to $225 from $220 while maintaining a “neutral” rating, implying roughly 13.8% upside from the reported share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Molina has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $213.88, with 13 Hold, three Buy and two Sell ratings.
• Molina exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $0.89 versus a $0.79 consensus and revenue of $11.08 billion, although revenue declined 3.4% year over year and earnings fell from $1.84 per share.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $220.00 to $225.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective points to a potential upside of 13.78% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $218.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $163.00 price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Monday. UBS Group lifted their target price on Molina Healthcare from $202.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Molina Healthcare from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Molina Healthcare has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $213.88.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of Molina Healthcare stock traded down $7.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $197.75. 448,026 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,279,888. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.69. The firm has a market cap of $10.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -205.61, a PEG ratio of 29.89 and a beta of 0.78. Molina Healthcare has a 52 week low of $121.06 and a 52 week high of $244.89. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $200.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $184.42.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.10. Molina Healthcare had a positive return on equity of 2.50% and a negative net margin of 0.11%. The company had revenue of $11.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare will post 5.30 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Molina Healthcare

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Molina Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,503,052,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 11.9% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,267,207 shares of the company's stock valued at $289,810,000 after acquiring an additional 135,247 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 23.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,394,882 shares of the company's stock worth $185,929,000 after purchasing an additional 267,121 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the second quarter worth $152,339,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the second quarter worth $86,138,000. 98.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Molina Healthcare

Molina Healthcare, Inc is a managed-care company that provides health insurance and related services primarily through government-sponsored programs. Its offerings include Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare-Medicaid dual-eligible plans and health plans sold through government marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act.

The company's services generally include medical care coordination, behavioral health support, pharmacy benefits and, depending on the plan and state, dental and vision benefits.

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