Centene (NYSE:CNC) Given New $37.00 Price Target at Robert W. Baird

Centene (NYSE:CNC) had its price target lifted by Robert W. Baird from $36.00 to $37.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning,MarketScreener reports. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on CNC. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Centene from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Centene from $32.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Centene from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $44.00 price objective on shares of Centene and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $41.00 target price on shares of Centene in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Centene currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.88.

Centene Price Performance

CNC opened at $37.65 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $38.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $18.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.59. Centene has a 12 month low of $25.08 and a 12 month high of $64.15.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Centene

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CNC. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Centene in the first quarter valued at about $236,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Centene by 80.0% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $527,000 after purchasing an additional 4,315 shares in the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Centene by 20.3% during the 2nd quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 4,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 820 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Centene by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 44,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,440,000 after purchasing an additional 2,582 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in shares of Centene by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 231,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,590,000 after buying an additional 967 shares during the last quarter. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.