Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) Short Interest Up 20.9% in May

Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,620,000 shares, an increase of 20.9% from the May 15th total of 1,340,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 445,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days. Approximately 2.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Baird R W raised Molina Healthcare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $405.00 target price for the company. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $437.00 to $430.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare from $435.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Molina Healthcare from $410.00 to $375.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $407.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Molina Healthcare news, COO James Woys sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 53,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,504,526.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Molina Healthcare news, COO James Woys sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $18,504,526.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ronna Romney sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in Molina Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of Molina Healthcare by 105.6% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Molina Healthcare by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Molina Healthcare in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC boosted its stake in Molina Healthcare by 3,933.3% during the 4th quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.50% of the company’s stock.

Molina Healthcare Stock Performance

Shares of MOH stock traded down $1.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $307.04. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 358,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 538,620. The stock has a market cap of $17.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.57. Molina Healthcare has a 12-month low of $273.58 and a 12-month high of $423.92. The company has a 50 day moving average of $341.15 and a 200 day moving average of $367.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $5.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.46 by $0.27. Molina Healthcare had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 2.99%. The firm had revenue of $9.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare will post 23.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.