Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Shares Purchased by QV Investors Inc.

QV Investors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 305,277 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 33,350 shares during the period. Centene comprises about 2.0% of QV Investors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. QV Investors Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Centene worth $22,655,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Centene during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. bought a new stake in Centene during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Centene during the second quarter worth $26,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Centene during the third quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in Centene during the third quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.63% of the company's stock.

Centene Price Performance

Shares of CNC traded up $0.73 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $72.78. The stock had a trading volume of 2,745,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,231,869. The company's 50-day moving average is $77.09 and its 200 day moving average is $74.37. The company has a market capitalization of $38.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Centene Co. has a 12-month low of $60.83 and a 12-month high of $81.42.

Centene (NYSE:CNC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.02. Centene had a return on equity of 14.26% and a net margin of 1.75%. The business had revenue of $39.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.86 EPS. Centene's quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Centene Co. will post 6.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Lori Jean Robinson sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.41, for a total value of $774,100.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $886,731.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Centene news, President Kenneth J. Fasola sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total transaction of $900,840.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 235,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,668,850.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lori Jean Robinson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.41, for a total value of $774,100.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,455 shares in the company, valued at $886,731.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CNC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Centene from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $85.00 target price (down from $92.00) on shares of Centene in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Barclays assumed coverage on Centene in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $101.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of Centene in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Centene from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Centene has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.46.

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.