Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) Short Interest Update

Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) saw a large increase in short interest during 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. Approximately 3.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 727,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

MOH traded up $1.00 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $316.97. The stock had a trading volume of 401,024 shares, compared to its average volume of 607,262. The company has a market cap of $17.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a fifty day moving average of $298.86 and a 200 day moving average of $309.90. 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 has a 1 year low of $262.32 and a 1 year high of $423.92.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,000 shares of Molina Healthcare 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,235,608.75. This trade represents a 5.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Molina Healthcare

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MOH. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in Molina Healthcare by 1.4% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 2,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $960,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 8.3% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 8,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,942,000 after acquiring an additional 652 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 6.7% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 28,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,664,000 after acquiring an additional 1,757 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 0.3% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 173,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,919,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 1.1% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 6,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,120,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on MOH shares. Mizuho cut 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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 report on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $370.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective (down previously from $378.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare in a 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 issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $355.69.

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.