Franklin Resources Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH)

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH) by 72.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,137 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,347 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Molina Healthcare were worth $2,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Molina Healthcare during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 2,500.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 104 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. AM Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Molina Healthcare during the second quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Molina Healthcare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $62,000. 98.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MOH opened at $295.19 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market cap of $16.88 billion, a PE ratio of 14.99, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s fifty day moving average is $305.16 and its 200 day moving average is $318.66. Molina Healthcare, Inc. has a 52 week low of $272.69 and a 52 week high of $423.92.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $6.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.96 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $10.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.92 billion. Molina Healthcare had a return on equity of 27.88% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.05 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Molina Healthcare, Inc. will post 23.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on MOH. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $360.00 to $362.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Molina Healthcare from $405.00 to $331.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $406.00 price target on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective (down previously from $378.00) on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $359.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $361.91.

Molina Healthcare Company Profile

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.