Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Price Target Lowered to $220.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo lowered Molina Healthcare’s price target to $220 from $235 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying roughly 10% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly cautious: Molina has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $202.44, based on one Strong Buy, three Buys, eleven Holds, and two Sells.
• Molina exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.51 in adjusted earnings per share versus the $1.39 consensus and $10.87 billion in revenue, although revenue declined 4.8% year over year.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $235.00 to $220.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective indicates a potential upside of 10.07% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Molina Healthcare from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and issued a $129.00 price target on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $184.00 to $180.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Molina Healthcare from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $202.44.

Molina Healthcare Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:MOH opened at $199.86 on Tuesday. Molina Healthcare has a 1 year low of $121.06 and a 1 year high of $244.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The business's 50-day moving average is $206.49 and its 200-day moving average is $177.08. The company has a market capitalization of $10.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,110.29 and a beta of 0.74.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $10.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.83 billion. Molina Healthcare had a positive return on equity of 3.73% and a negative net margin of 0.02%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.48 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Molina Healthcare will post 5.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Molina Healthcare news, CAO Maurice Hebert sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total value of $114,930.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,815 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,454,713.25. This trade represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeff D. Barlow sold 17,811 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.12, for a total transaction of $3,314,983.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 67,175 shares in the company, valued at $12,502,611. This trade represents a 20.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Baird Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Molina Healthcare in the 1st quarter valued at about $210,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 33.4% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,106 shares of the company's stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 713.3% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,651 shares of the company's stock worth $544,000 after purchasing an additional 1,448 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 19.4% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 249,466 shares of the company's stock worth $82,172,000 after purchasing an additional 40,531 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,541,000. 98.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Molina Healthcare

Molina Healthcare, Inc is a managed care company specializing in government-sponsored health insurance programs. The company offers Medicaid managed care plans, Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, and individual Marketplace plans under the Affordable Care Act. Through an integrated care model, Molina emphasizes preventive and primary care services, care coordination, and disease management to improve health outcomes for its members.

The company traces its roots to the early 1980s, when Dr.

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