Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Acquires 45,163 Shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) by 49.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 136,178 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 45,163 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Centene were worth $8,267,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CNC. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Centene by 8.8% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in Centene by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 412 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in Centene by 23.7% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 956 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Centene by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,591 shares of the company's stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intellectus Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Centene by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 7,224 shares of the company's stock worth $438,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.63% of the company's stock.

Centene Price Performance

NYSE:CNC traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $53.98. The stock had a trading volume of 5,925,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,793,085. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Centene Corporation has a one year low of $52.93 and a one year high of $80.59.

Centene (NYSE:CNC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $2.90 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $43.16 billion. Centene had a return on equity of 14.56% and a net margin of 2.04%. Centene's revenue was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.26 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Centene Corporation will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $65.00 price target (down from $84.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Centene from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Centene in a report on Monday, June 9th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Centene from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Centene in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Centene currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.71.

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.