Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy” Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Wednesday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target 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 dropped their target price on Molina Healthcare from $372.00 to $339.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Molina Healthcare from $370.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare from $382.00 to $376.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Molina Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $295.00 to $372.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Molina Healthcare has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $355.69.

Molina Healthcare Trading Up 4.3 %

NYSE:MOH opened at $323.98 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $17.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.56. Molina Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $262.32 and a fifty-two week high of $423.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $300.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $308.97.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Molina Healthcare news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,000 shares of the firm’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 value of $301,330.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 is available through this link. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

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

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.