Nuveen LLC Buys New Stake in Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH)

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Molina Healthcare, buying 140,992 shares valued at approximately $46.4 million, representing about 0.26% of the company.
• Molina Healthcare's recent earnings report showed revenue of $11.43 billion for the quarter, exceeding analyst estimates of $10.94 billion, despite a slight earnings per share miss.
• Institutional investors currently own 98.50% of Molina Healthcare's stock, indicating strong interest from large financial entities.

Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 140,992 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $46,441,000. Nuveen LLC owned 0.26% of Molina Healthcare at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 688,245 shares of the company's stock valued at $200,307,000 after purchasing an additional 91,229 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 74,593.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 667,015 shares of the company's stock valued at $219,708,000 after purchasing an additional 666,122 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 620,294 shares of the company's stock valued at $180,537,000 after purchasing an additional 101,630 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 607,601 shares of the company's stock valued at $176,842,000 after purchasing an additional 78,950 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 537,057 shares of the company's stock valued at $156,310,000 after purchasing an additional 32,273 shares during the period. 98.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MOH opened at $159.70 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $225.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $282.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.87 and a beta of 0.52. 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.

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

Insider Transactions at Molina Healthcare

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MOH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare from $260.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare from $373.00 to $179.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare from $372.00 to $216.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $414.00 price objective for the company. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Molina Healthcare has an average 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.

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