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

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report issued on Thursday,Finviz reports. They currently have a $266.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 12.19% from the stock's previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $351.00 to $347.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Molina Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $414.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Molina Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 29th. Guggenheim began coverage on Molina Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $375.00 price target (up from $331.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $357.21.

Molina Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MOH opened at $237.09 on Thursday. 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 1-year low of $227.68 and a 1-year high of $365.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $296.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $304.21.

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

Insider Activity at Molina Healthcare

In other Molina Healthcare news, Director Richard M. Schapiro sold 669 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.50, for a total transaction of $214,414.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,603,702. This trade represents a 5.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 257,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,484,262.90. The trade was a 25.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MOH. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 8,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,413,000 after purchasing an additional 811 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 165.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the company's stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 1,207 shares during the period. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. bought a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the second quarter worth about $202,000. Czech National Bank raised its position in Molina Healthcare by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 13,248 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,947,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Molina Healthcare by 20.6% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 363 shares of the company's stock valued at $108,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. 98.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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