Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,720,000 shares, an increase of 22.9% from the February 13th total of 1,400,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 727,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days. Currently, 3.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Activity at Molina Healthcare

In related news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $5,235,608.75. This represents a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $871,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Tributary Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 76.1% in the 4th quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 4,190 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,219,000 after buying an additional 1,811 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Molina Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at $544,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 123.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 347 shares of the company's stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the period. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Molina Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at $249,000. 98.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on MOH. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $382.00 to $376.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Molina Healthcare from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $295.00 to $372.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $372.00 to $339.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $374.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $345.00 price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $355.69.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

MOH stock traded down $5.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $309.85. 1,046,887 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 611,848. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $299.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $309.69. Molina Healthcare has a 1-year low of $262.32 and a 1-year high of $423.92. The company has a market cap of $16.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.17, 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.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $5.05 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current year.

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.