Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Rating Lowered to "Equal Weight" at Morgan Stanley

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. They presently have a $266.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $364.00. Morgan Stanley's price objective suggests a potential upside of 16.58% from the stock's previous close.

MOH has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $414.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Molina Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, June 29th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $340.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays lowered their target price on Molina Healthcare from $351.00 to $347.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Guggenheim began coverage on Molina Healthcare in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Molina Healthcare presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $357.21.

Molina Healthcare Stock Down 3.8%

MOH stock traded down $9.05 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $228.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,440,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 714,063. The firm's 50-day moving average is $295.21 and its 200-day moving average is $303.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Molina Healthcare has a 12 month low of $227.68 and a 12 month high of $365.23. The company has a market cap of $12.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.55.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $6.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.96 by $0.12. Molina Healthcare had a return on equity of 28.38% and a net margin of 2.81%. The firm had revenue of $11.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.73 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 transaction of $28,005,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 257,715 shares of the company's stock, valued at $82,484,262.90. The trade was a 25.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard M. Schapiro sold 669 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.50, for a total transaction of $214,414.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,244 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,603,702. This trade represents a 5.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 126.3% in the first 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 position in Molina Healthcare in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its stake 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. Elequin Capital LP grew its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 170.6% during the 1st quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 92 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC raised its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 930.0% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.