Guggenheim Initiates Coverage on Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH)

Equities researchers at Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm set a “neutral” rating on the stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Mizuho upped their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $376.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $350.00 price target (down previously from $378.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $374.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $345.00 price target on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $350.75.

Molina Healthcare Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of MOH stock traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $331.23. 112,405 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 739,190. The company has a market capitalization of $18.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $308.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $308.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62. Molina Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $262.32 and a fifty-two week high of $383.58.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last released 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%. Research analysts predict that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 approximately $5,235,608.75. This represents a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Molina Healthcare

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MOH. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 126.3% during the first quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 86 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its stake in Molina Healthcare by 930.0% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 83.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Molina Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. 98.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.