Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $275.00, but opened at $325.00. Molina Healthcare shares last traded at $332.36, with a volume of 300,912 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MOH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Molina Healthcare from $315.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $354.00 to $353.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 29th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $412.00 to $351.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Molina Healthcare from $354.00 to $297.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on Molina Healthcare from $440.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $371.83.

Molina Healthcare Trading Up 23.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market cap of $19.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50 day moving average is $336.17 and its 200 day moving average is $330.51.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $5.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.73 by $0.13. Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 2.84% and a return on equity of 28.09%. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.65 earnings per share. Molina Healthcare’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Molina Healthcare, Inc. will post 23.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Molina Healthcare

In other Molina Healthcare news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $339.21, for a total value of $339,210.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 18,025 shares in the company, valued at $6,114,260.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Maurice Hebert sold 393 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.52, for a total transaction of $136,182.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,282,583.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $339.21, for a total transaction of $339,210.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,114,260.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Molina Healthcare during the second quarter worth about $36,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Molina Healthcare during the second quarter worth about $40,000. AM Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Molina Healthcare during the second quarter worth about $59,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 96.2% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Molina Healthcare in the first quarter valued at about $151,000. 98.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.