Royce & Associates LP Sells 4,497 Shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH)

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP reduced its stake in Molina Healthcare by 12.6%, selling 4,497 shares, and now owns approximately 0.06% of the company, valued at $10.26 million.
• Insider sales included CEO Joseph M. Zubretsky, who sold 87,500 shares worth over $28 million, reflecting a 25.35% decrease in his ownership.
• Analysts have altered their ratings and price targets for Molina Healthcare, with Baird R W changing their rating from "strong-buy" to "hold", while the stock currently has a consensus price target of $267.42.

Royce & Associates LP trimmed its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Free Report) by 12.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,157 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,497 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 0.06% of Molina Healthcare worth $10,263,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 126.3% during the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 86 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 60.7% during the first quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 90 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated acquired a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the first quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. 98.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MOH has been the subject of a number of research reports. Baird R W lowered Molina Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Mizuho set a $330.00 price target on shares of Molina Healthcare and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (down from $312.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group lowered 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. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $267.42.

Insider Activity at Molina Healthcare

In other Molina Healthcare news, CEO Joseph M. Zubretsky sold 87,500 shares of Molina Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.06, for a total value of $28,005,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 257,715 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $82,484,262.90. The trade was a 25.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard M. Schapiro sold 669 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.50, for a total transaction of $214,414.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,244 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,603,702. This trade represents a 5.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of MOH stock opened at $164.97 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Molina Healthcare, Inc has a 12-month low of $156.36 and a 12-month high of $365.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $267.38 and a 200-day moving average of $296.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.55.

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 business had revenue of $11.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.86 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare, Inc will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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