Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Raises Stock Position in Centene Corporation $CNC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 33.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 473,768 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 119,857 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.10% of Centene worth $19,496,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNC. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of Centene by 66.0% in the third quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 85,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,041,000 after buying an additional 33,875 shares in the last quarter. Packer & Co Ltd acquired a new position in Centene during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,487,000. Oracle Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Centene in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,936,000. ARGA Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in Centene in the third quarter valued at approximately $21,485,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Centene by 122.5% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 223,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,962,000 after purchasing an additional 122,870 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Centene Trading Down 1.1%

CNC opened at $32.61 on Thursday. Centene Corporation has a 12-month low of $25.08 and a 12-month high of $66.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.03 billion, a PE ratio of -2.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $40.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.69.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The company reported ($1.19) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.22) by $0.03. The company had revenue of $49.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.41 billion. Centene had a negative net margin of 3.43% and a positive return on equity of 4.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Centene Corporation will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Centene in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Centene from $32.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Argus upgraded Centene to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $44.00 target price on Centene and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Centene from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Three equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.81.

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.