32,315 Shares of Centene Corporation $CNC Bought by First Pacific Financial

Key Points

• First Pacific Financial acquired 32,315 Centene shares worth approximately $2.0 million during the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 93.63% of Centene’s outstanding stock.
• Centene reported a quarterly earnings beat, with EPS of $2.51 versus the $1.09 consensus estimate and revenue of $53.58 billion, up 9.9% year over year.
• Shares opened at $70.07, near their 52-week high, while analysts maintained a generally cautious outlook: the stock has an average “Hold” rating and a $70.05 average price target. The planned Gold Card provider program could improve efficiency, though its financial benefits remain uncertain.

First Pacific Financial bought a new position in shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 32,315 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,007,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Silicon Valley Capital Partners bought a new stake in shares of Centene in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH acquired a new stake in shares of Centene during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Centene during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in shares of Centene during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Bayban bought a new stake in shares of Centene during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Centene News

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Centene plans to launch a nationwide performance-based Gold Card Program in November. The initiative will initially cover more than 160,000 qualifying providers and streamline prior-authorization reviews for selected outpatient services while maintaining clinical and quality requirements. Investors view the program as a potential way to reduce administrative costs, improve provider relationships and support operating efficiency. Centene to Launch Nationwide Gold Card Program for Qualifying Providers
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary identified the Gold Card announcement, Centene’s plan to redeem its remaining 2027 notes and expansion of primary-care capabilities as factors behind renewed confidence in the company’s margin-recovery and balance-sheet outlook. Centene Is Up 6.6% After Gold Card, Debt Redemption and Primary Care Expansion News
• Positive Sentiment: PA Health & Wellness, a Centene subsidiary, was again recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as one of the top 17 Medicaid health plans nationally. The recognition may reinforce confidence in Centene’s Medicaid execution and service quality. PA Health & Wellness Earns National Recognition Among Top Medicaid Health Plans
• Neutral Sentiment: Centene CEO Sarah London said artificial intelligence could help Medicaid patients gain better access to care, particularly in medical-access deserts. The comments highlight a long-term innovation strategy, but they do not yet provide measurable financial guidance. Centene CEO Sarah London on Medicaid and AI
• Negative Sentiment: The Gold Card program’s financial benefit remains uncertain: savings depend on provider adoption and whether reduced authorization work translates into lower costs. Centene also faces some investor caution after reported insider selling, while Wednesday’s relative underperformance suggests the positive news was not uniformly embraced. Centene’s Gold Card Push Could Ease Costs Centene Stock Underperforms Competitors

Centene Stock Up 1.8%

NYSE CNC opened at $70.07 on Thursday. Centene Corporation has a 1-year low of $31.63 and a 1-year high of $70.37. The company has a market capitalization of $34.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.27, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.13. The stock's 50 day moving average is $65.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Centene (NYSE:CNC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $1.42. The business 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%. Centene's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.16) EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Centene Corporation will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Centene

In other Centene news, General Counsel Christopher Koster sold 56,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.90, for a total transaction of $3,779,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 248,854 shares in the company, valued at $16,648,332.60. This represents a 18.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.37% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on CNC shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $79.00 target price on Centene in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $79.00 price target (up from $68.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Raymond James Financial set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Centene in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Centene from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $80.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.05.

Centene Profile

Centene Corporation NYSE: CNC is a healthcare enterprise that provides health insurance and related services, primarily through government-sponsored programs. Its offerings include Medicaid plans, Medicare products, health plans sold through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, and services for military families through government-sponsored healthcare programs.

The company also provides pharmacy, behavioral health, specialty healthcare, care management and administrative services through various subsidiaries and partner organizations.

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