Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Trims Position in Molina Healthcare, Inc $MOH

Key Points

• Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. reduced its stake in Molina Healthcare, Inc. by 9.1%, owning 42,200 shares worth approximately $13.9 million after selling 4,200 shares in the first quarter.
• Molina Healthcare's stock increased by 2.2% recently, while analysts have downgraded their price targets for the stock significantly in several reports.
• COO James Woys purchased 10,000 shares at $155.94 each, increasing his ownership by 15.54%, while a board director sold 700 shares, reducing their stake by 3.93%.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lessened its stake in Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Free Report) by 9.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 42,200 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,200 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned 0.08% of Molina Healthcare worth $13,900,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in Molina Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Elequin Capital LP increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.50% of the company's stock.

Molina Healthcare Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of Molina Healthcare stock opened at $174.51 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $187.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $269.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Molina Healthcare, Inc has a 52-week low of $151.95 and a 52-week high of $365.23. The company has a market cap of $9.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 0.54.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.50 by ($0.02). Molina Healthcare had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 2.60%.The firm had revenue of $11.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.86 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Molina Healthcare, Inc will post 24.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO James Woys acquired 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $155.94 per share, with a total value of $1,559,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 74,331 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,591,176.14. This represents a 15.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ronna Romney sold 700 shares of Molina Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.74, for a total transaction of $107,618.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,131 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,633,719.94. The trade was a 3.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MOH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $284.00 to $220.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $373.00 to $179.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $216.00 to $198.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $260.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Molina Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $225.18.

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.

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