Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Shares Sold by Romano Brothers AND Company

Romano Brothers AND Company trimmed its position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) by 25.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,905 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,280 shares during the period. Romano Brothers AND Company's holdings in Centene were worth $2,787,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Centene in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,272,000. Bonfire Financial acquired a new stake in Centene in the fourth quarter valued at $490,000. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its position in shares of Centene by 38.4% during the 4th quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 26,034 shares of the company's stock worth $1,577,000 after purchasing an additional 7,229 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of Centene by 55.6% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 45,103 shares of the company's stock worth $2,732,000 after purchasing an additional 16,108 shares during the period. Finally, Diametric Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Centene in the 4th quarter valued at about $610,000. 93.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Centene Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:CNC traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $54.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,945,303 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,875,297. The firm has a market cap of $27.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $60.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.17. Centene Co. has a 1 year low of $54.01 and a 1 year high of $80.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $65.00 price target (down from $84.00) on shares of Centene in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird cut 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Centene from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Centene from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Centene in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $78.31.

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.