Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Molina Healthcare's short interest jumped by 30.4% in August, reaching a total of 2,920,000 shares, indicating increased bearish sentiment among investors.
• COO James Woys purchased 10,000 shares of the company at $155.94 each, significantly increasing his position, while Director Ronna Romney sold 700 shares at $153.74.
• Analysts have revised price targets for Molina Healthcare, with UBS Group setting a new objective of $180.00, reflecting a cautious outlook after previously higher estimates.

Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,920,000 shares, an increase of 30.4% from the August 15th total of 2,240,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,510,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Currently, 5.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 5.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,510,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Molina Healthcare Stock Down 2.6%

MOH stock traded down $4.62 during trading on Friday, hitting $175.09. 2,063,581 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,239,660. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $174.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $262.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.63 and a beta of 0.54. Molina Healthcare has a 52-week low of $151.95 and a 52-week high of $359.97. 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 (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $5.48 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.86 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MOH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective 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. UBS Group dropped their target price on Molina Healthcare from $260.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Molina Healthcare from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $364.00 to $266.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $186.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $216.00 to $198.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $225.18.

Insider Activity at Molina Healthcare

In other Molina Healthcare news, COO James Woys bought 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $155.94 per share, for a total transaction of $1,559,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 74,331 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,591,176.14. This represents a 15.54% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ronna Romney sold 700 shares of the 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in Molina Healthcare in the first quarter valued at $2,759,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 100.3% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 659 shares of the company's stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. purchased a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth about $1,070,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 82.1% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,635 shares of the company's stock worth $5,150,000 after purchasing an additional 7,051 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Molina Healthcare in the first quarter valued at about $255,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.50% of the company's stock.

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.