Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Shares Up 3.2% – Still a Buy?

Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH)’s stock price traded up 3.2% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $318.88 and last traded at $320.53. 41,145 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 736,212 shares. The stock had previously closed at $310.53.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MOH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target (down from $378.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays cut their target price on Molina Healthcare from $372.00 to $339.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Molina Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $295.00 to $372.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare from $370.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $382.00 to $376.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Molina Healthcare presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $355.69.

Molina Healthcare Trading Up 0.1 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $17.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $302.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $309.17. 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 (NYSE:MOH) last announced 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 net margin of 2.90% and a return on equity of 28.13%. On average, analysts predict that Molina Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.4 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,000 shares of the company’s 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 directly owns 17,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,235,608.75. This represents a 5.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Molina Healthcare

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 930.0% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Molina Healthcare by 2,500.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 83.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 163 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Molina Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Molina Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.50% of the company’s stock.

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.