Cantor Fitzgerald Reaffirms Neutral Rating for Centene (NYSE:CNC)

Centene (NYSE:CNC)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reissued by research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $41.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price objective points to a potential upside of 6.60% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Centene from $24.00 to $32.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays set a $44.00 price target on Centene and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Centene from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Centene from $28.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $43.00 price target on shares of Centene and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.81.

Centene Price Performance

CNC stock opened at $38.46 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $18.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.82, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.48. Centene has a fifty-two week low of $25.08 and a fifty-two week high of $66.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $42.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.99.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last issued 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 business had revenue of $49.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.41 billion. Centene had a negative net margin of 3.43% and a positive return on equity of 4.25%. The company’s revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.000 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Centene will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Centene

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNC. Addison Advisors LLC raised its position in Centene by 455.6% during the third quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 739 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Centene in the third quarter valued at $27,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Centene by 118.4% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 749 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the period. WPG Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Centene by 44.5% in the 3rd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Centene by 11,011.1% in the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 991 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

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.