Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Makes New $667,000 Investment in Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired 2,025 shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc, valued at approximately $667,000, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Molina Healthcare reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $5.48, slightly missing the consensus estimate of $5.50, while revenue increased by 15.7% year-over-year.
• Several analysts have downgraded their target prices for Molina Healthcare, with JPMorgan Chase reducing it from $272.00 to $184.00, reflecting a more cautious outlook on the stock.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,025 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $667,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MOH. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Molina Healthcare by 449.3% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,775 shares of the company's stock worth $5,855,000 after buying an additional 14,539 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 7.3% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 8,375 shares of the company's stock worth $2,759,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. First National Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Molina Healthcare during the first quarter worth approximately $402,000. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 69.6% during the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 30,463 shares of the company's stock worth $10,034,000 after purchasing an additional 12,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Molina Healthcare by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 21,623 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,122,000 after purchasing an additional 1,118 shares during the last quarter. 98.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Molina Healthcare Trading Down 1.7%

MOH stock traded down $2.75 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $155.12. 2,007,159 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,223,858. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.41 billion, a PE ratio of 7.65 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $251.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $291.64. Molina Healthcare, Inc has a 1-year low of $153.01 and a 1-year high of $365.23.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.50 by ($0.02). Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 2.60% and a return on equity of 27.72%. The company had revenue of $11.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.86 earnings per share. The firm's 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MOH has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $260.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Molina Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $414.00 target price on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on Molina Healthcare from $270.00 to $186.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Guggenheim initiated coverage on Molina Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $244.55.

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.