Centene Corporation $CNC Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its position in Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 22.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,567 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,361 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Centene were worth $1,947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. grew its position in Centene by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. now owns 14,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $500,000 after purchasing an additional 849 shares during the last quarter. TT Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Centene during the third quarter worth about $504,000. Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Centene by 43.1% during the third quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $572,000 after buying an additional 4,835 shares during the last quarter. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. increased its position in Centene by 15.5% in the 3rd quarter. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 44,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,593,000 after acquiring an additional 6,000 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Centene by 4,217.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 5,778 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Centene Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of CNC stock opened at $44.82 on Friday. Centene Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $25.08 and a fifty-two week high of $66.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $42.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.56. The stock has a market cap of $22.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported ($1.19) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.22) by $0.03. Centene had a negative net margin of 3.43% and a positive return on equity of 4.25%. The business had revenue of $49.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.000 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Centene Corporation will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus raised Centene to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Centene from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of Centene in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Centene from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Mizuho set a $47.00 price objective on shares of Centene in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.00.

About Centene

Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) is a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise that specializes in providing services to government-sponsored and national health programs. The company primarily acts as a managed care organization, delivering healthcare coverage and administering benefits for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare Advantage, and individual marketplace plans. Centene also contracts with federal and state agencies to manage specialty care programs and community-based services for vulnerable populations.

Centene’s offerings extend beyond traditional insurance to include a range of specialty and support services.