Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Molina Healthcare, Inc. has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from 13 analysts, with 10 advising hold and 3 recommending buy.
• Brokerage firms have significantly revised their price targets for Molina Healthcare, with estimates ranging from $179 to $198, down from previous targets exceeding $270.
• Recent insider trading activities include COO James Woys purchasing 10,000 shares, marking a 15.54% increase in his ownership, while Director Ronna Romney sold 700 shares.

Shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the thirteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $242.9091.

MOH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $216.00 to $198.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Molina Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, June 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Molina Healthcare from $400.00 to $330.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Molina Healthcare from $272.00 to $184.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

MOH traded down $6.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $177.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,404,984 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,412,302. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Molina Healthcare has a 12 month low of $151.95 and a 12 month high of $365.23. The stock has a market cap of $9.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.73 and a beta of 0.54. The business's 50-day moving average price is $192.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $271.34.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.50 by ($0.02). Molina Healthcare had a return on equity of 27.72% and a net margin of 2.60%.The business had revenue of $11.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.94 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.86 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Molina Healthcare

In other news, COO James Woys bought 10,000 shares of Molina Healthcare stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were bought at an average price 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 in the company, valued at approximately $11,591,176.14. This represents a 15.54% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ronna Romney sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,633,719.94. This represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.26% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Molina Healthcare in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 930.0% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 103 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 60.7% in the 1st quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 90 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Elequin Capital LP grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 170.6% in the 1st quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 92 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. 98.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.