Stanley Capital Management LLC Has $20.11 Million Stock Position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

Stanley Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) by 51.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 331,912 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 113,112 shares during the quarter. Centene comprises approximately 3.9% of Stanley Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Stanley Capital Management LLC owned 0.07% of Centene worth $20,107,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CNC. State of Wyoming lifted its position in Centene by 132.3% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 6,707 shares of the company's stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 3,820 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in Centene by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 273,367 shares of the company's stock worth $16,561,000 after purchasing an additional 11,657 shares during the last quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Centene during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Shell Asset Management Co. raised its holdings in Centene by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 50,395 shares of the company's stock worth $3,053,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Centene by 31.9% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 752,249 shares of the company's stock worth $45,573,000 after purchasing an additional 182,022 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.63% of the company's stock.

Centene Stock Down 2.0%

CNC stock traded down $1.21 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $60.75. 3,227,541 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,874,281. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $30.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.48. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $60.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.44. Centene Co. has a 1-year low of $55.03 and a 1-year high of $80.59.

Centene (NYSE:CNC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $46.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $43.16 billion. Centene had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.26 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Centene Co. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CNC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Centene in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Argus cut Centene from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com cut Centene from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Centene from $93.00 to $84.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Centene from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $79.77.

About Centene

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.