Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on MOH. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Molina Healthcare from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $230.00 price target on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $163.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Molina Healthcare from $146.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Molina Healthcare presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.38.

Molina Healthcare Price Performance

Shares of Molina Healthcare stock opened at $197.64 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $206.19 and a 200 day moving average of $177.02. Molina Healthcare has a 52 week low of $121.06 and a 52 week high of $244.89. The company has a market cap of $10.30 billion, a PE ratio of -1,097.94 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.48 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Molina Healthcare will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Molina Healthcare news, CAO Maurice Hebert sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.55, for a total value of $114,930.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,815 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,454,713.25. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jeff D. Barlow sold 17,811 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.12, for a total value of $3,314,983.32. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 67,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,502,611. This represents a 20.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MOH. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Molina Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 1,250.0% during the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 211.9% during the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Molina Healthcare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 504.9% during the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. 98.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Molina Healthcare

Here are the key news stories impacting Molina Healthcare this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Molina Healthcare beat Q2 earnings expectations with EPS of $1.51, and lower operating expenses helped offset weaker premium revenue and softer investment income. The company also raised its 2026 EPS outlook, which supports the long-term earnings case. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts still see some upside from current levels despite recent weakness, with Truist and RBC both saying the stock could rise into the low-to-mid $200s. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street’s consensus recommendation remains “Hold,” suggesting analysts are not turning bullish yet, but are also not broadly negative on the name. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and membership trends remain a concern, and multiple reports said investors were disappointed by weaker premium revenue and softer guidance even after the earnings beat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction has been negative because Molina warned about a smaller Obamacare footprint and ongoing pressure in its Medicaid/ACA businesses, which outweighed the earnings beat. Article Title

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.