Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,621,816 shares, a decline of 17.4% from the November 30th total of 4,386,502 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,419,977 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days. Currently, 6.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 6.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,419,977 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MOH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Molina Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $144.00 price objective (down from $185.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Truist Financial set a $175.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $231.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $158.00 price target on Molina Healthcare in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Molina Healthcare has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $196.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Richard M. Schapiro sold 357 shares of Molina Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.02, for a total transaction of $51,058.14. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,352 shares in the company, valued at $1,623,563.04. The trade was a 3.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molina Healthcare

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MOH. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Molina Healthcare by 2,140.0% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 112 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in Molina Healthcare by 6,225.0% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Molina Healthcare in the second quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.50% of the company’s stock.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of Molina Healthcare stock opened at $173.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The company has a market cap of $9.42 billion, a PE ratio of 10.76 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $154.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $183.60. Molina Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $133.40 and a fifty-two week high of $359.97.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.97 by ($2.13). Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 1.98% and a return on equity of 22.95%. The firm had revenue of $11.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Molina Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.000-14.000 EPS. Analysts expect that Molina Healthcare will post 24.4 EPS for the current year.

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.