Short Interest in Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH) Rises By 30.4%

Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH) saw a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,767,698 shares, an increase of 30.4% from the January 29th total of 2,889,851 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,978,126 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days. Currently, 7.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 7.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,978,126 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Molina Healthcare Stock Performance

MOH stock traded down $1.91 during trading on Monday, hitting $152.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,211,947 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,299,291. The firm has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a PE ratio of 17.77 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Molina Healthcare has a 1-year low of $121.06 and a 1-year high of $359.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $167.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.72.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported ($2.75) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($3.18). The business had revenue of $11.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.90 billion. Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 1.04% and a return on equity of 13.60%. The business’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.05 earnings per share. Molina Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000- EPS. On average, analysts expect that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MOH. Wells Fargo & Company set a $141.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $224.00 price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Monday, February 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.86.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MOH. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 35.9% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 139,557 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,706,000 after purchasing an additional 36,831 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 359.7% in the third quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 20,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,905,000 after buying an additional 15,969 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 289.3% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,735 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,246,000 after buying an additional 8,721 shares during the last quarter. Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Molina Healthcare during the 3rd quarter valued at $6,709,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Molina Healthcare by 245.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 80,608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,425,000 after acquiring an additional 57,266 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.50% of the company’s stock.

About Molina Healthcare

Molina Healthcare, Inc is a managed care company specializing in government-sponsored health insurance programs. The company offers Medicaid managed care plans, Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, and individual Marketplace plans under the Affordable Care Act. Through an integrated care model, Molina emphasizes preventive and primary care services, care coordination, and disease management to improve health outcomes for its members.

The company traces its roots to the early 1980s, when Dr.