South Dakota Investment Council Acquires 64,985 Shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc $MOH

Key Points

• South Dakota Investment Council increased its Molina Healthcare stake by 62.9% in the first quarter, buying 64,985 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 168,307 shares valued at approximately $22.4 million.
• Institutional investors own 98.5% of Molina Healthcare, while company insiders own 1.44%; two insiders recently sold shares, including a transaction worth about $3.3 million by Jeff D. Barlow.
• Molina’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $1.51 per share versus the $1.39 consensus and revenue of $10.87 billion. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $202.44.

South Dakota Investment Council grew its holdings in Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Free Report) by 62.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 168,307 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 64,985 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council owned 0.32% of Molina Healthcare worth $22,435,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. ARGA Investment Management LP increased its stake in Molina Healthcare by 1.4% in the first quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 4,166 shares of the company's stock valued at $555,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Molina Healthcare by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 322 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Molina Healthcare by 64.5% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 232 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 0.7% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 13,668 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,616,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 0.6% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 16,753 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,206,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. 98.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Molina Healthcare

In other news, insider Jeff D. Barlow sold 17,811 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.12, for a total transaction of $3,314,983.32. Following the sale, the insider owned 67,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,502,611. This represents a 20.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Maurice Hebert sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total value of $114,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,815 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,454,713.25. This trade represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

Molina Healthcare Stock Performance

NYSE MOH opened at $199.06 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $10.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,105.83, a PEG ratio of 28.70 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50 day moving average of $207.16 and a 200-day moving average of $177.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Molina Healthcare, Inc has a 1-year low of $121.06 and a 1-year high of $244.89.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $10.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.83 billion. Molina Healthcare had a positive return on equity of 3.73% and a negative net margin of 0.02%.Molina Healthcare's revenue was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.48 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare, Inc will post 5.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MOH. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Molina Healthcare from $248.00 to $218.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Molina Healthcare from $124.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Bank of America upgraded Molina Healthcare from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $163.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Friday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Molina Healthcare currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $202.44.

Molina Healthcare Profile

Molina Healthcare, Inc is a managed care company specializing in government-sponsored health insurance programs. The company offers Medicaid managed care plans, Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, and individual Marketplace plans under the Affordable Care Act. Through an integrated care model, Molina emphasizes preventive and primary care services, care coordination, and disease management to improve health outcomes for its members.

The company traces its roots to the early 1980s, when Dr.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MOH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.