NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Buys 5,538 Shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its holdings in shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) by 4.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 130,139 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,538 shares during the quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC's holdings in Centene were worth $7,901,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of CNC. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in Centene by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 412 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Centene during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Centene in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Centene in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Centene in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. 93.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CNC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Centene in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Centene in a research report on Monday, June 9th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $65.00 price objective (down from $84.00) on shares of Centene in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Centene from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Centene from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Centene currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $77.71.

Centene Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:CNC traded down $0.56 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $54.66. 5,191,856 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,903,895. The stock has a market cap of $27.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $59.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.92. Centene Co. has a 12-month low of $54.01 and a 12-month high of $80.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Centene (NYSE:CNC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $2.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $46.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.16 billion. Centene had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.26 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Centene Co. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Centene Company 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.