Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Trims Position in Centene Corporation $CNC

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP trimmed its position in Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 39.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 53,422 shares of the company’s stock after selling 34,180 shares during the period. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP’s holdings in Centene were worth $1,749,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Centene during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in Centene in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Centene by 118.4% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares during the period. Bayban purchased a new position in shares of Centene during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Centene in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho set a $63.00 price objective on Centene and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Centene from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Centene from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target 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 report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Centene from $46.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $67.00.

Centene News Roundup

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

Centene Trading Up 2.3%

NYSE CNC opened at $62.23 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $50.27. Centene Corporation has a twelve month low of $25.08 and a twelve month high of $69.36. The company has a market capitalization of $30.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.96, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.07.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $1.42. The firm had revenue of $53.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $47.64 billion. Centene had a positive return on equity of 12.12% and a negative net margin of 2.51%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.16) EPS. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.800- EPS. Research analysts forecast that Centene Corporation will post 4.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.