Barclays Lowers Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Price Target to $186.00

Key Points

• Barclays has cut Molina Healthcare's price target from $270.00 to $186.00, maintaining an "equal weight" rating on the stock.
• Other brokerages, including Wells Fargo and Cantor Fitzgerald, have also reduced their price targets significantly, with Molina Healthcare currently having an average rating of "Hold."
• Molina Healthcare's recent quarter reported an EPS of $5.48, missing estimates by two cents, while revenue increased by 15.7% year-over-year, reaching $11.43 billion.
• The company's CEO recently sold 87,500 shares, reducing his ownership by 25.35%, during a time when hedge funds are modifying their stakes in the company.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Free Report) had its target price trimmed by Barclays from $270.00 to $186.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on MOH. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare from $373.00 to $179.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Molina Healthcare from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $364.00 to $266.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Baird R W cut Molina Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $180.00 target price (down from $335.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Friday. Finally, Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Molina Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $267.42.

Molina Healthcare Trading Up 4.3%

NYSE MOH traded up $6.75 on Friday, reaching $164.97. The company had a trading volume of 4,892,162 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,704,853. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The firm has a market cap of $8.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a 50 day moving average of $267.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $296.17. Molina Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $156.36 and a fifty-two week high of $365.23.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.94 billion. Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 2.60% and a return on equity of 27.72%. Molina Healthcare's revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.86 EPS. Analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Joseph M. Zubretsky sold 87,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.06, for a total value of $28,005,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 257,715 shares of the company's stock, valued at $82,484,262.90. This trade represents a 25.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard M. Schapiro sold 669 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $214,414.50. Following 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MOH. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 126.3% during the first quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 86 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in Molina Healthcare in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 60.7% in the 1st quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 90 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Elequin Capital LP lifted its stake in Molina Healthcare by 170.6% during the first 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 increased its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 930.0% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 103 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. 98.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.