25,238 Shares in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Acquired by LMR Partners LLP

LMR Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 25,238 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,529,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Centene in the 4th quarter worth about $1,536,167,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Centene by 21.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,555,456 shares of the company's stock valued at $639,450,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884,358 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Centene by 42.8% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,742,698 shares of the company's stock valued at $469,053,000 after purchasing an additional 2,319,952 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Centene by 32.3% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,469,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $391,854,000 after purchasing an additional 1,578,917 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Centene by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,294,816 shares of the company's stock worth $320,760,000 after acquiring an additional 443,121 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Centene Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CNC traded up $1.72 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $61.78. 4,368,389 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,859,505. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $55.03 and a 1 year high of $80.59. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.46. The stock has a market cap of $30.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.90, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Argus cut Centene from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Centene from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Centene from $76.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com cut Centene from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Centene from $93.00 to $84.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $79.77.

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.