StockNews.com Upgrades Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) to “Buy”

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $345.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare from $374.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $372.00 to $339.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $382.00 to $376.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (down previously from $378.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $355.69.

Molina Healthcare Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MOH opened at $323.85 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Molina Healthcare has a 52-week low of $262.32 and a 52-week high of $416.35. The stock has a market cap of $17.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $302.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $309.17.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $5.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.74 by ($0.69). Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 28.13%. Equities analysts predict that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Molina Healthcare

In related news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $301.33, for a total transaction of $301,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,375 shares in the company, valued at $5,235,608.75. The trade was a 5.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 1.1% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 6,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,120,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in Molina Healthcare by 73.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,290 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Molina Healthcare by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 62,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,441,000 after purchasing an additional 3,742 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 72,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,125,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 37.3% during the 3rd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 5,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,902,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. 98.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.