Centene Corporation $CNC Holdings Cut by Essential Partners LLC

Essential Partners LLC reduced its stake in shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 39.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,998 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,276 shares during the period. Essential Partners LLC’s holdings in Centene were worth $1,310,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CNC. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Centene during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in Centene in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. Bayban acquired a new stake in shares of Centene during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Centene in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CNC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Centene from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $53.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Centene in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $80.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Centene from $48.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Centene from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.00.

More Centene News

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Centene reported adjusted second-quarter EPS of $2.51, well above the $1.09 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 9.9% year over year to $53.58 billion. Margin recovery, cost discipline and stronger Marketplace performance supported the results. Centene Could Be 3% Undervalued After Strong Q2 Earnings And Higher Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 outlook to approximately $4.80 in EPS, citing contained medical costs and continued margin improvement. The guidance increase initially prompted a positive market reaction. Centene Lifts 2026 Outlook as Insurer Contains Medical Costs
• Positive Sentiment: Positive momentum and value assessments continue: Zacks included CNC among its Rank #1 Strong Buy momentum stocks, while other coverage described the shares as potentially undervalued following their substantial recovery. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for July 30th
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its price target from $46 to $66 but maintained a Neutral rating, implying limited upside from the current trading level. Centene also announced plans to redeem $500 million of its 2027 notes, reducing future debt obligations. Centene Announces Partial Redemption of 2027 Notes
• Negative Sentiment: The main pressure is concern over declining Medicaid enrollment and the sustainability of the earnings recovery. Investors appear to be treating the improved outlook cautiously because lower membership could weigh on future revenue, while higher medical utilization remains a risk. Oscar Health Flashes Buy Signal As Medicaid Weighs On Centene

Centene Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CNC opened at $60.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The business’s 50 day moving average is $63.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.19. The company has a market cap of $30.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.83, a P/E/G ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.07. Centene Corporation has a 12 month low of $25.08 and a 12 month high of $69.36.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $1.42. Centene had a positive return on equity of 12.12% and a negative net margin of 2.51%.The company had revenue of $53.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $47.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.16) earnings per share. Centene’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.800- EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Centene Corporation will post 4.95 EPS for the current year.

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.