Centene Corporation $CNC Shares Bought by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 16.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 104,905 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,964 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Centene were worth $3,743,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in 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 acquiring 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. ARGA Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Centene in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $21,485,000. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Centene by 122.5% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of Centene by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,384,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,724,000 after purchasing an additional 199,016 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Centene

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Centene’s Texas unit, Superior HealthPlan, added a Foster Care Center of Excellence in the Rio Grande Valley—a local operational win that supports member engagement in a core managed‑care market. Superior HealthPlan Names Cute Pediatrics
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its 2026 outlook and completed debt note redemptions, which reduces refinancing risk and signals confidence in the company’s capital plan. That helps offset some headline pressure. Centene Reaffirms 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Some research services still highlight Centene as a momentum-ranked name, which could attract tactical buyers if sentiment stabilizes. Centene is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Centene presented at the Barclays Healthcare Conference; the transcript provides management commentary investors can parse for member trends and margin outlook. Barclays Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus remains cautious with a general “Hold” stance, limiting immediate upward pressure from upgrades. Consensus “Hold” Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes Centene has underperformed the Nasdaq recently, signaling relative weakness versus the market but not new company‑specific news. Is Centene Underperforming the Nasdaq?
• Negative Sentiment: Company executives warned of a steeper-than-expected drop in Obamacare memberships, a direct negative for revenue and margin assumptions in segments tied to ACA enrollment. That disclosure is the primary driver of the selloff. Centene Shares Fall on ACA Membership Drop
• Negative Sentiment: Broader reporting shows Obamacare enrollment is plunging as costs rise, a sector headwind hitting Centene and peers and pressuring revenue forecasts. Obamacare Enrollment Plunging
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and headlines note CNC’s large share decline over the past year and continued downside pressure today, reinforcing negative sentiment among investors. Why Is Centene Stock Falling?
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually heavy put‑option volume indicates traders are positioning for further downside in CNC, amplifying intraday selling pressure. (Options flow data)

Centene Stock Performance

Shares of CNC opened at $36.35 on Wednesday. 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 Corporation has a 52-week low of $25.08 and a 52-week high of $66.03. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.33. The company has a market capitalization of $17.88 billion, a PE ratio of -2.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.48.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The company reported ($1.19) EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $49.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.000 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Centene Corporation will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $44.00 price target on Centene and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of Centene in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Mizuho set a $41.00 target price on shares of Centene in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Centene from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Centene from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.06.

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.