Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Purchases Shares of 15,491 Centene Corporation $CNC

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 15,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $556,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in Centene by 3.8% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 865,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,344,000 after acquiring an additional 31,485 shares during the period. Bull Harbor Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Centene during the 1st quarter worth about $2,072,000. Amundi raised its position in shares of Centene by 30.4% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 3,873,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,834,000 after buying an additional 902,581 shares during the last quarter. Talon Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Centene in the first quarter valued at about $599,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Centene by 1,281.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 339,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,117,000 after buying an additional 314,980 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Centene Price Performance

Centene stock opened at $64.21 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $31.72 billion, a PE ratio of -6.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.08. Centene Corporation has a one year low of $25.08 and a one year high of $69.36.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $1.42. Centene had a negative net margin of 2.51% and a positive return on equity of 12.12%. The firm had revenue of $53.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $47.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.16) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.800- EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Centene Corporation will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Centene News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Centene reported adjusted second-quarter EPS of $2.51, well above the $1.09 analyst consensus, while revenue reached $53.58 billion. The health benefits ratio improved to 89.6% from 93.0% a year earlier, indicating better pricing, rate increases and medical-cost management. Centene Corp. Surged on Earnings Beat and Improved Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to more than $4.80 from more than $3.40 and increased its full-year revenue outlook. The higher forecast is the main reason investors have continued bidding up CNC after earnings. Why Centene Is Up After Raising Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Centene’s redemption of its 2027 notes should reduce near-term refinancing risk and may lower interest expense, adding to the improved financial outlook. Centene Guidance and Debt Redemption
• Positive Sentiment: A recently awarded Illinois Medicaid contract for Centene’s Meridian Health Plan could provide additional support for government-program enrollment and future revenue. Centene Rises on Profit Recovery and Higher Outlook

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on Centene from $60.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Centene from $58.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Centene from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $53.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Centene from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $61.00 price target (up from $55.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Centene presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $68.58.

Centene Profile

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.