Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) Receives $41.50 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.8750.

CNC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Centene from $32.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Centene from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Centene from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research raised Centene from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Centene in a report on Tuesday, January 6th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Centene

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Addison Advisors LLC increased its stake in Centene by 455.6% in the third quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 606 shares during the period. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Centene during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Centene in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in shares of Centene in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Centene Stock Up 4.4%

Shares of NYSE CNC opened at $43.06 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Centene has a 52-week low of $25.08 and a 52-week high of $66.03. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $42.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.70. The stock has a market cap of $21.17 billion, a PE ratio of -3.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 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 forecast that Centene will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Centene Company 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.