Quantinno Capital Management LP Boosts Stake in Centene Corporation $CNC

Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 6.7% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 842,199 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 52,983 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP’s holdings in Centene were worth $27,574,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Centene by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,978,753 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,344,676,000 after acquiring an additional 190,334 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Centene by 117.0% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 31,798,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,308,518,000 after purchasing an additional 17,143,904 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Centene by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,271,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $554,338,000 after purchasing an additional 697,277 shares in the last quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Centene by 184.0% during the 3rd quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. now owns 9,046,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $322,761,000 after purchasing an additional 5,860,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of Centene by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,002,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $370,456,000 after buying an additional 603,585 shares in the last quarter. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Centene Stock Performance

Shares of CNC stock opened at $62.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.07. Centene Corporation has a one year low of $25.08 and a one year high of $69.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $63.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $50.27.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $2.51 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $53.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $47.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.16) EPS. Centene’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.800- EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Centene Corporation will post 4.91 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Centene from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Centene from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $80.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Centene in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 price objective (up from $47.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Centene from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Centene currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.00.

Key Stories Impacting Centene

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q2 results and raised outlook: Centene reported adjusted earnings of $2.51 per share, well above the $1.09 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 9.9% year over year to $53.58 billion. The insurer also raised its 2026 earnings outlook to at least $4.80 per share, citing contained medical costs. Centene Lifts 2026 Outlook as Insurer Contains Medical Costs
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support has strengthened: Zacks Research upgraded CNC from “hold” to “strong buy,” while Truist maintained its buy rating. Robert W. Baird also expects the stock to rise, providing additional support for the recent rally. Zacks.com Truist Financial Keeps Their Buy Rating on Centene
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and valuation remain favorable: Zacks included Centene among its Rank #1 momentum stocks, and other analyses describe CNC as potentially undervalued following its earnings recovery. These reports may attract momentum and value-oriented investors. Best Momentum Stock to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative investment appeal: A comparison with UnitedHealth favors UNH because of its diversified platform, Optum growth and artificial-intelligence investments. The assessment does not identify a new negative development at Centene but could limit CNC’s appeal among managed-care investors. UnitedHealth vs. Centene
• Negative Sentiment: Medicaid and membership concerns persist: Coverage highlights declining membership and ongoing Medicaid-related pressure, which could challenge revenue growth and margins even as medical-cost trends improve. Medicaid Weighs on Centene

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.