Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) Shares Sold by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its stake in Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,570 shares of the company’s stock after selling 348 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Molina Healthcare were worth $5,114,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MOH. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Molina Healthcare by 83.1% during the fourth 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 position in Molina Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 81.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 337.0% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Molina Healthcare by 895.0% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.50% of the company’s stock.

Molina Healthcare Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Molina Healthcare stock opened at $327.06 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $303.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $308.59. Molina Healthcare, Inc. has a 12-month low of $262.32 and a 12-month high of $395.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $17.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.56.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $5.05 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare, Inc. will post 24.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MOH. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective (down previously from $378.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Molina Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Molina Healthcare from $382.00 to $376.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Molina Healthcare from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $295.00 to $372.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,000 shares of Molina Healthcare stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.33, for a total value of $301,330.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,235,608.75. The trade was a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.