Vanguard Group Inc. Has $2.14 Billion Stake in Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in Molina Healthcare by 1.5%, owning 6,482,661 shares worth approximately $2.14 billion as of its latest SEC filing.
• Several institutional investors increased their positions in Molina Healthcare, with 98.50% of the stock now held by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Analysts have significantly lowered their price targets for Molina Healthcare, with Wells Fargo reducing its target from $372 to $216, and overall ratings leaning towards a consensus of "Hold."

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its position in Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Free Report) by 1.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,482,661 shares of the company's stock after selling 95,758 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.96% of Molina Healthcare worth $2,135,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 688,245 shares of the company's stock valued at $200,307,000 after buying an additional 91,229 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 74,593.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 667,015 shares of the company's stock worth $219,708,000 after purchasing an additional 666,122 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 19.6% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 620,294 shares of the company's stock worth $180,537,000 after purchasing an additional 101,630 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 607,601 shares of the company's stock valued at $176,842,000 after acquiring an additional 78,950 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 537,057 shares of the company's stock valued at $156,310,000 after acquiring an additional 32,273 shares during the period. 98.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MOH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. 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 report on Friday, July 25th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Molina Healthcare from $400.00 to $330.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Baird R W cut Molina Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Molina Healthcare from $272.00 to $184.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $210.00 price target (down from $312.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Friday, July 25th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $244.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Molina Healthcare

In related news, Director Ronna Romney sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.74, for a total value of $107,618.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,131 shares in the company, valued at $2,633,719.94. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO James Woys purchased 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was purchased 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. The trade was 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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

Molina Healthcare stock traded up $3.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $157.02. 1,621,242 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,296,886. The business has a fifty day moving average of $231.16 and a 200 day moving average of $284.81. 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 company has a market capitalization of $8.51 billion, a PE ratio of 7.74 and a beta of 0.52. Molina Healthcare, Inc has a 1-year low of $151.95 and a 1-year high of $365.23.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.50 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $11.43 billion for 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%. Molina Healthcare's revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.86 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Molina Healthcare, Inc will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current year.

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.