Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Shares Sold by Hosking Partners LLP

Hosking Partners LLP trimmed its position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) by 11.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,232 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,816 shares during the period. Hosking Partners LLP's holdings in Centene were worth $4,133,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Harris Associates L P increased its position in Centene by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 26,314,183 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,980,932,000 after buying an additional 1,420,825 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Centene by 0.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,468,159 shares of the company's stock worth $1,766,683,000 after acquiring an additional 111,654 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Centene by 3.5% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,768,534 shares of the company's stock valued at $434,255,000 after acquiring an additional 194,566 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Centene by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 3,203,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $241,126,000 after purchasing an additional 428,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Centene by 693.5% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,705,936 shares of the company's stock worth $103,346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,490,935 shares in the last quarter. 93.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Theodore R. Samuels II acquired 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $58.86 per share, with a total value of $294,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 23,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,353,780. This trade represents a 27.78 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Thomas Greco bought 17,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $59.75 per share, with a total value of $1,015,750.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 19,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,153,712.75. This represents a 736.25 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 23,693 shares of company stock valued at $1,409,954. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Centene Stock Performance

Centene stock traded down $0.61 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $57.99. The company had a trading volume of 4,029,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,629,361. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $28.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.45. The company's fifty day moving average is $60.95 and its 200-day moving average is $64.96. Centene Co. has a 12-month low of $55.03 and a 12-month high of $80.59.

Centene (NYSE:CNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $40.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.78 billion. Centene had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.45 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Centene Co. will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Centene from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Centene from $66.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $75.00 price target (down previously from $80.00) on shares of Centene in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Centene from $76.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Centene from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $79.92.

Centene Profile

Centene Corporation operates as a healthcare enterprise that provides programs and services to under-insured and uninsured families, commercial organizations, and military families in the United States. The company operates through Medicaid, Medicare, Commercial, and Other segments. The Medicaid segment offers health plan coverage, including medicaid expansion, aged, blind, disabled, children's health insurance program, foster care, medicare-medicaid plans, long-term services and support.