Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Downgraded by Morgan Stanley to "Equal Weight"

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Morgan Stanley from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $266.00 price objective on the stock, down from their prior price objective of $364.00. Morgan Stanley's target price indicates a potential upside of 20.64% from the company's current price.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Molina Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $414.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho increased their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $376.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Baird R W downgraded Molina Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $351.00 to $347.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 9th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $352.21.

Molina Healthcare Trading Down 3.5%

MOH traded down $8.09 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $220.49. The stock had a trading volume of 599,252 shares, compared to its average volume of 713,768. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 1.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.55. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $295.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $303.75. Molina Healthcare has a 52 week low of $219.96 and a 52 week high of $365.23.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $6.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.73 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Richard M. Schapiro sold 669 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.50, for a total value of $214,414.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,603,702. The trade was a 5.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 25.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Molina Healthcare

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MOH. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 46.4% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,838,043 shares of the company's stock worth $1,264,214,000 after buying an additional 1,216,903 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 74,593.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 667,015 shares of the company's stock worth $219,708,000 after buying an additional 666,122 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Molina Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth $134,675,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,801,113 shares of the company's stock valued at $524,214,000 after buying an additional 427,276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 1,641.3% in the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 409,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $119,274,000 after buying an additional 386,273 shares during the last quarter. 98.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.