Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Stock Price Up 3.8% – Should You Buy?

Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) shares rose 3.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $338.49 and last traded at $341.02. Approximately 32,575 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 95% from the average daily volume of 632,248 shares. The stock had previously closed at $328.49.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MOH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised Molina Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $295.00 to $372.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $382.00 to $376.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target (down from $378.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Molina Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $348.75.

Molina Healthcare Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $19.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.41, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $304.95 and a 200-day moving average of $308.51.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 28.13% and a net margin of 2.90%. Research analysts predict that Molina Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Molina Healthcare

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,632,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $766,111,000 after purchasing an additional 181,073 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,614,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $900,787,000 after buying an additional 13,001 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,801,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $524,214,000 after buying an additional 427,276 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Molina Healthcare by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,436,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,144,000 after buying an additional 34,992 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 28.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,327,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $386,229,000 after acquiring an additional 294,180 shares in the last quarter. 98.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.