Prudential PLC Trims Stock Holdings in Molina Healthcare, Inc $MOH

Key Points

• Prudential PLC reduced its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 65.6%, owning just 1,078 shares worth approximately $355,000 after selling 2,052 shares in Q1.
• Several institutional investors increased their stakes in Molina Healthcare, with Guggenheim Capital raising its holdings by 23.6% during the last quarter.
• Wall Street analysts have lowered their target prices for Molina Healthcare, with Robert W. Baird reducing its target from $373.00 to $179.00 and maintaining a "neutral" rating.

Prudential PLC lessened its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Free Report) by 65.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,078 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,052 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC's holdings in Molina Healthcare were worth $355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in Molina Healthcare by 126.3% during the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 86 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Molina Healthcare in the first quarter worth $29,000. Colonial Trust Co SC raised 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its position in shares of 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. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated purchased a new stake in shares of Molina Healthcare during the first quarter worth $34,000. 98.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Molina Healthcare Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MOH traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $173.77. 1,982,929 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 990,321. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The business's 50 day moving average is $218.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $279.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.42 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56 and a beta of 0.52. Molina Healthcare, Inc has a one year low of $151.95 and a one year high of $365.23.

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 the consensus estimate of $5.50 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $11.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.94 billion. Molina Healthcare had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 2.60%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.86 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare, Inc will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ronna Romney sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was 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 $2,633,719.94. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO James Woys purchased 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $155.94 per share, for a total transaction of $1,559,400.00. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer owned 74,331 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,591,176.14. This represents a 15.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $414.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Molina Healthcare from $373.00 to $179.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $210.00 target price (down previously from $312.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $400.00 to $330.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $216.00 to $198.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Molina Healthcare has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $242.91.

Molina Healthcare 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.