Focused Investors LLC Cuts Stake in Centene Corporation $CNC

Key Points

• Focused Investors LLC trimmed its stake in Centene by 2.7%, selling 34,850 shares to hold 1,264,350 shares worth about $52.03 million (roughly 0.26% of the company), making Centene its 22nd largest holding.
• Centene reported -$1.19 EPS for the quarter (beating estimates by $0.03) and revenue of $49.73 billion, up 21.9% year-over-year, and set FY2026 guidance at 3.00 EPS while analysts project about 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The stock trades near $38.11 with a market cap of $18.74 billion; analysts' consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $41.88 and institutional investors owning about 93.63% of the shares.

Focused Investors LLC lowered its position in shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,264,350 shares of the company's stock after selling 34,850 shares during the period. Centene comprises approximately 1.7% of Focused Investors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Focused Investors LLC owned about 0.26% of Centene worth $52,028,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CNC. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its position in Centene by 66.0% during the third quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 85,232 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,041,000 after purchasing an additional 33,875 shares in the last quarter. Oracle Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Centene during the third quarter valued at about $3,936,000. Packer & Co Ltd bought a new stake in Centene during the third quarter valued at about $50,487,000. ARGA Investment Management LP bought a new stake in Centene during the third quarter valued at about $21,485,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its position in Centene by 122.5% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 223,157 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,962,000 after purchasing an additional 122,870 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.63% of the company's stock.

Centene Trading Down 0.2%

Centene stock opened at $38.11 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. Centene Corporation has a one year low of $25.08 and a one year high of $64.15. The stock has a market cap of $18.74 billion, a PE ratio of -2.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.59.

Centene (NYSE:CNC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported ($1.19) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.22) by $0.03. Centene had a positive return on equity of 4.25% and a negative net margin of 3.43%.The company had revenue of $49.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $48.41 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.000 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Centene Corporation will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $44.00 price objective on Centene and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Centene from $45.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Argus raised Centene to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Centene from $32.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on Centene from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $41.88.

Centene Company Profile

Centene Corporation NYSE: CNC is a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise that specializes in providing services to government-sponsored and national health programs. The company primarily acts as a managed care organization, delivering healthcare coverage and administering benefits for Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare Advantage, and individual marketplace plans. Centene also contracts with federal and state agencies to manage specialty care programs and community-based services for vulnerable populations.

Centene's offerings extend beyond traditional insurance to include a range of specialty and support services.

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