Wall Street Zen Downgrades Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) to Sell

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on MOH. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $180.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $169.00 to $191.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Molina Healthcare from $124.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Molina Healthcare from $248.00 to $218.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Molina Healthcare presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $202.44.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MOH opened at $200.03 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,111.22, a PEG ratio of 28.66 and a beta of 0.75. Molina Healthcare has a one year low of $121.06 and a one year high of $244.89. The company’s fifty day moving average is $211.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $10.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.83 billion. Molina Healthcare had a negative net margin of 0.02% and a positive return on equity of 3.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.48 EPS. Analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare will post 5.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 23,008.3% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 13,816,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,159,875,000 after purchasing an additional 13,756,891 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,503,052,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 217.0% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,934,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $561,475,000 after purchasing an additional 2,008,458 shares in the last quarter. 8 Knots Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the 4th quarter worth approximately $198,942,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $152,339,000. 98.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Molina Healthcare Company Profile

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.