Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $348.75.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MOH. StockNews.com lowered shares of Molina Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $372.00 to $339.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Molina Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $295.00 to $372.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price (down from $378.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on Molina Healthcare from $374.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

Molina Healthcare Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of Molina Healthcare stock opened at $347.26 on Friday. Molina Healthcare has a twelve month low of $262.32 and a twelve month high of $383.58. The stock has a market cap of $18.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $306.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $308.73.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.33, for a total value of $301,330.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,235,608.75. This trade represents a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MOH. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $134,675,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in Molina Healthcare by 31.1% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,801,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $524,214,000 after purchasing an additional 427,276 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Molina Healthcare by 1,641.3% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 409,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,274,000 after buying an additional 386,273 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Molina Healthcare by 28.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,327,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $386,229,000 after buying an additional 294,180 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Molina Healthcare by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,632,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $766,111,000 after buying an additional 181,073 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.50% of the company’s stock.

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.