Korea Investment CORP Boosts Holdings in Centene Corporation $CNC

Korea Investment CORP boosted its stake in Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 7.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 340,215 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,805 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP owned about 0.07% of Centene worth $12,139,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB grew its stake in Centene by 70.4% during the 3rd quarter. Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB now owns 170,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,066,000 after buying an additional 70,243 shares during the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC raised its position in Centene by 38.0% in the 3rd quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 761,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,170,000 after purchasing an additional 209,518 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its stake in Centene by 152.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 1,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 610 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL purchased a new position in Centene during the 3rd quarter worth $251,000. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Centene by 341.5% in the third quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 16,628 shares of the company’s stock valued at $593,000 after purchasing an additional 12,862 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Centene Stock Performance

CNC opened at $35.91 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.32. 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 cap of $17.66 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.48. Centene Corporation has a 1-year low of $25.08 and a 1-year high of $66.03.

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

Key Centene News

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Superior HealthPlan (a Centene unit) named a Rio Grande Valley provider a Foster Care Center of Excellence — a local operating win that supports managed‑care positioning in Texas. Superior HealthPlan Names Cute Pediatrics as First Rio Grande Valley Provider to Earn Foster Care Distinction
• Positive Sentiment: Company update: Centene reaffirmed its 2026 outlook and redeemed certain debt notes — signaling liquidity/commitment to guidance despite near‑term headwinds. Centene Reaffirms 2026 Outlook and Redeems Debt Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presentation/transcript from Barclays conference is available — useful for detail on guidance and membership trends but did not offset market concern. Centene Corporation (CNC) Presents at Barclays 28th Annual Global Healthcare Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: analysts note HMO names face cost pressure, nursing shortages and policy risk — structural headwinds that increase sensitivity to ACA enrollment swings. 4 HMO Stocks to Watch Despite Escalating Costs, Nursing Shortage
• Negative Sentiment: CEO warning of a steep ACA membership decline: management said individual-market enrollment may fall to ~3.5M from ~5.5M — a dramatic reduction that directly cuts revenue and hurts margins, and was cited as the primary catalyst for the selloff. Centene (CNC) Stock Plunges 14% as CEO Warns of Massive ACA Enrollment Decline
• Negative Sentiment: News and market reactions: multiple outlets report shares falling after executives flagged steeper ACA membership losses; Mizuho and other analysts lowered targets/expressed caution. Centene shares fall as health insurer sees steeper drop in Obamacare memberships
• Negative Sentiment: Broader coverage: stories framing the “slow death” of enhanced ACA subsidies and plunging enrollment directly link the policy shift to Centene’s weakness. Obamacare’s Slow Death Is Debilitating Centene Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Market signals: unusually high put‑option volume and elevated trading volume show short/bear positioning and higher conviction among downside traders, amplifying price moves.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CNC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Centene from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Centene from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $44.00 price target on Centene and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Centene from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Centene from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.06.

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.