Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) Receives $41.81 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have given a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.8125.

CNC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Argus raised shares of Centene to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Centene from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Centene from $45.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Centene from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Centene from $32.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Centene

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Addison Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 606 shares during the period. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Centene in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Centene in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in shares of Centene during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Centene by 118.4% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 749 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Centene Stock Performance

NYSE:CNC opened at $35.09 on Friday. Centene has a twelve month low of $25.08 and a twelve month high of $66.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.26 billion, a PE ratio of -2.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.59.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported ($1.19) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.22) by $0.03. Centene had a positive return on equity of 4.25% and a negative net margin of 3.43%.The firm had revenue of $49.73 billion during 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.000 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Centene will post 6.86 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.