Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Trading 3.8% Higher - Here's Why

Key Points

• Molina Healthcare shares rose 3.8% to approximately $201.56 in Thursday trading, while volume was 89% below the average.
• Analysts remain cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $202.44; recent targets range from $191 to $230.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $1.51 versus $1.39 expected and revenue of $10.87 billion, though revenue declined 4.8% year over year and net margin remained negative.

Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 3.8% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $207.50 and last traded at $201.5580. Approximately 157,169 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 1,373,224 shares. The stock had previously closed at $194.13.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on MOH shares. Truist Financial cut their target price on Molina Healthcare from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 24th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Molina Healthcare from $163.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Mizuho set a $215.00 price objective on Molina Healthcare in a research report on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $180.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $169.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $202.44.

Molina Healthcare Trading Up 2.9%

The firm has a market cap of $10.43 billion, a PE ratio of -1,104.74, a PEG ratio of 28.13 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $208.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $183.72.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $10.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.83 billion. Molina Healthcare had a positive return on equity of 3.73% and a negative net margin of 0.02%.The company's revenue was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.48 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare, Inc will post 5.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MOH. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in Molina Healthcare by 23,008.3% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 13,816,682 shares of the company's stock worth $3,159,875,000 after purchasing an additional 13,756,891 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Molina Healthcare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,503,052,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 217.0% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,934,130 shares of the company's stock worth $561,475,000 after buying an additional 2,008,458 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,171,433 shares of the company's stock worth $376,831,000 after buying an additional 201,772 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,690,981 shares of the company's stock valued at $293,453,000 after buying an additional 329,679 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.50% of the company's stock.

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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