Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH) Shares Purchased by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 11.8%, acquiring an additional 10,460 shares to own a total of 99,401 shares, valued at approximately $32.74 million.
• Molina Healthcare recently reported its quarterly earnings, which included a net revenue of $11.43 billion, exceeding analysts’ expectations, despite missing the earnings per share estimate.
• Various research firms have lowered their price targets for Molina Healthcare, with the consensus target now at $244.55, while most analysts rate the stock as a hold.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Free Report) by 11.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 99,401 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 10,460 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.18% of Molina Healthcare worth $32,742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 126.3% during the first 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. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 930.0% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 103 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 60.7% in the first quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 90 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated purchased a new position in Molina Healthcare in the first quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 52.0% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 228 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MOH. Barclays decreased their target price on Molina Healthcare from $270.00 to $186.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $210.00 price target (down from $312.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Friday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Molina Healthcare from $272.00 to $184.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Molina Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Molina Healthcare from $372.00 to $216.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Molina Healthcare presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $244.55.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MOH traded down $1.87 during trading on Thursday, hitting $159.34. 330,623 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 964,816. Molina Healthcare, Inc has a 12-month low of $151.95 and a 12-month high of $365.23. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $228.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $283.95. The company has a market cap of $8.64 billion, a PE ratio of 7.83 and a beta of 0.52.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 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 analysts' expectations of $10.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.86 EPS. Molina Healthcare's quarterly revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare, Inc will post 24.4 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Molina Healthcare news, Director Ronna Romney sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 17,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,633,719.94. This represents a 3.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO James Woys purchased 10,000 shares of Molina Healthcare stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $155.94 per share, for a total transaction of $1,559,400.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer owned 74,331 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,591,176.14. This trade represents a 15.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Molina Healthcare Company Profile

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.