Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Shares Acquired by Vantage Investment Partners LLC

Vantage Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 456,446 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,954 shares during the period. Centene comprises 3.4% of Vantage Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Vantage Investment Partners LLC owned 0.09% of Centene worth $33,873,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new position in Centene in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Centene in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in Centene during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Centene during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Headinvest LLC bought a new position in Centene during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Centene Stock Up 1.9 %

CNC opened at $75.15 on Friday. Centene Co. has a 12 month low of $60.83 and a 12 month high of $81.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $40.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $76.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.61.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.02. Centene had a return on equity of 14.26% and a net margin of 1.75%. The firm had revenue of $39.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.16 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Centene Co. will post 6.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CNC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays initiated coverage on Centene in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $101.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Centene from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Centene in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $85.00 price target (down previously from $92.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Centene from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.38.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Kenneth J. Fasola sold 12,000 shares of Centene stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total transaction of $900,840.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 235,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,668,850.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Lori Jean Robinson sold 10,000 shares of Centene stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.41, for a total value of $774,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $886,731.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Kenneth J. Fasola sold 12,000 shares of Centene stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total value of $900,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 235,365 shares in the company, valued at $17,668,850.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Centene

Centene Corporation operates as a healthcare enterprise that provides programs and services to under-insured and uninsured families, commercial organizations, and military families in the United States. The company operates through Medicaid, Medicare, Commercial, and Other segments. The Medicaid segment offers health plan coverage, including medicaid expansion, aged, blind, disabled, children's health insurance program, foster care, medicare-medicaid plans, long-term services and support.