Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $243.50 and last traded at $236.8630, with a volume of 172180 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $232.90.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on MOH shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $124.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $169.00 to $191.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $144.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Molina Healthcare from $146.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Molina Healthcare currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $185.88.

Molina Healthcare Trading Up 0.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $12.10 billion, a PE ratio of 68.71 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.63. The company has a fifty day moving average of $198.58 and a 200-day moving average of $172.67.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.78. The firm had revenue of $10.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.91 billion. Molina Healthcare had a return on equity of 8.76% and a net margin of 0.42%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.08 EPS. Molina Healthcare has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Molina Healthcare, Inc will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Maurice Hebert sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total transaction of $114,930.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,454,713.25. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jeff D. Barlow sold 17,811 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.12, for a total transaction of $3,314,983.32. Following the sale, the insider owned 67,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,502,611. This trade represents a 20.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Molina Healthcare by 217.0% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,934,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $561,475,000 after buying an additional 2,008,458 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Molina Healthcare by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,171,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $376,831,000 after buying an additional 201,772 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,690,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $293,453,000 after acquiring an additional 329,679 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 46.4% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,410,604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $244,796,000 after acquiring an additional 447,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 23.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,394,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,929,000 after acquiring an additional 267,121 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.