Short Interest in Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) Declines By 19.6%

Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,150,000 shares, a decline of 19.6% from the March 15th total of 1,430,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 381,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days. Currently, 2.0% of the company's shares are sold short.

Molina Healthcare Stock Performance

MOH traded down $0.21 during trading on Friday, hitting $376.57. 393,974 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 317,736. The firm has a market cap of $22.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.47. The stock's fifty day moving average is $395.00 and its 200 day moving average is $370.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Molina Healthcare has a one year low of $266.35 and a one year high of $423.92.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $4.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.31 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $9.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.35 billion. Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 3.20% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Molina Healthcare will post 23.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Molina Healthcare

In other news, Director Richard M. Schapiro sold 711 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.06, for a total value of $273,066.66. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,688,220.42. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Richard M. Schapiro sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $401.05, for a total transaction of $401,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,494,567.35. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard M. Schapiro sold 711 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.06, for a total transaction of $273,066.66. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,688,220.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 16,711 shares of company stock worth $6,472,517. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its position in Molina Healthcare by 1.6% during the first quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 19,459 shares of the company's stock worth $7,994,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its position in Molina Healthcare by 12.4% during the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 2,545 shares of the company's stock worth $1,046,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its position in Molina Healthcare by 2.0% during the first quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,024 shares of the company's stock worth $1,242,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its position in Molina Healthcare by 1,600.0% during the first quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 425 shares of the company's stock worth $175,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Molina Healthcare by 2.3% during the first quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,527 shares of the company's stock worth $1,860,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $406.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Molina Healthcare from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $439.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, March 28th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Molina Healthcare from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare from $435.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $437.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $395.82.

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.