Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Stock Price Up 3.8% - What's Next?

Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 3.8% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $338.49 and last traded at $341.02. Approximately 32,575 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 95% from the average daily volume of 632,248 shares. The stock had previously closed at $328.49.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $372.00 to $339.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $374.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Molina Healthcare from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $295.00 to $372.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $345.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Molina Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Seven research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $348.75.

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Molina Healthcare Stock Down 3.8 %

The business's 50 day moving average is $307.33 and its 200 day moving average is $308.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62. The stock has a market cap of $17.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.70.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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%. Equities analysts expect that Molina Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Molina Healthcare

In related news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,000 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,375 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,235,608.75. The trade was a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Molina Healthcare

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 74,593.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 667,015 shares of the company's stock worth $219,708,000 after purchasing an additional 666,122 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $134,675,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in Molina Healthcare by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,801,113 shares of the company's stock worth $524,214,000 after purchasing an additional 427,276 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 1,641.3% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 409,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $119,274,000 after purchasing an additional 386,273 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 28.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,327,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $386,229,000 after purchasing an additional 294,180 shares during the period. 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.