Vanguard Group Inc. Has $2.71 Billion Position in Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) by 0.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,598,424 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,470 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.26% of Molina Healthcare worth $2,710,831,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Molina Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth approximately $275,143,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,831,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,384,215,000 after purchasing an additional 436,060 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,430,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $878,086,000 after purchasing an additional 123,894 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Molina Healthcare by 127.0% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 192,847 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,678,000 after purchasing an additional 107,895 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Molina Healthcare by 4,019.2% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 103,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,282,000 after purchasing an additional 100,680 shares in the last quarter. 98.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on MOH. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $405.00 price objective for the company. Baird R W raised Molina Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $453.00 to $412.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $406.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Molina Healthcare from $410.00 to $375.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Molina Healthcare currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $403.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Molina Healthcare

In other Molina Healthcare news, COO James Woys sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.15, for a total value of $3,451,500.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 53,613 shares in the company, valued at $18,504,526.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Ronna Romney sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $343.27, for a total value of $85,817.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,816,710.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO James Woys sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.15, for a total transaction of $3,451,500.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 53,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,504,526.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Molina Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MOH traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $288.36. 984,213 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 571,351. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $311.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $355.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.58. Molina Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $283.53 and a 52 week high of $423.92.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $5.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.46 by $0.27. Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 29.86%. The business had revenue of $9.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.81 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Molina Healthcare, Inc. will post 23.56 EPS for the current year.

Molina Healthcare 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.