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Centene (CNC) Stock Forecast & Price Target

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$25.92 -0.15 (-0.58%)
Closing price 08/1/2025 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$25.89 -0.03 (-0.12%)
As of 08/1/2025 07:59 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Polygon.io. Learn more.

Centene - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2025)

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

Consensus Rating

Sell
1
Hold
13
Buy
3

Based on 17 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Centene in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold." Out of the 17 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 13 have given a hold rating, and 3 have given a buy rating for CNC.

Consensus Price Target

$42.53
64.09% Upside
According to the 17 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Centene, the average price target is $42.53. The highest price target for CNC is $88.00, while the lowest price target for CNC is $28.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 64.09% from the current price of $25.92.
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CNC Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
8/2/24 to 8/2/25
1 Month Ago
7/3/24 to 7/3/25
3 Months Ago
5/4/24 to 5/4/25
1 Year Ago
8/3/23 to 8/2/24
Strong Buy
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
3 Buy rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
9 Buy rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
Hold
13 Hold rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
Sell
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$42.53$68.87$79.77$83.86
Forecasted Upside64.09% Upside106.96% Upside32.73% Upside7.45% Upside
Consensus Rating
Hold
Hold
Moderate Buy
Hold

CNC Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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CNC Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
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Centene Stock vs. The Competition

TypeCenteneMedical CompaniesS&P 500
Consensus Rating Score
2.12
2.81
2.53
Consensus RatingHoldModerate BuyModerate Buy
Predicted Upside64.09% Upside10,407.36% Upside14.55% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Neutral News

See Recent CNC News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalyst NameActionRatingPrice TargetUpside/Downside on Report DateDetails
7/29/2025JPMorgan Chase & Co.
2 of 5 stars
John Stansel
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Lower TargetNeutral ➝ Neutral$48.00 ➝ $30.00+13.79%
7/28/2025Cantor Fitzgerald
4 of 5 stars
Sarah James
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DowngradeOverweight ➝ Neutral$65.00 ➝ $38.00+33.99%
7/28/2025UBS Group
3 of 5 stars
A.J. Rice
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Lower TargetNeutral ➝ Neutral$45.00 ➝ $31.00+15.37%
7/28/2025Truist Financial
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Ryan MacDonald
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Lower TargetBuy ➝ Buy$42.00 ➝ $35.00+26.88%
7/28/2025Oppenheimer
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Michael Wiederhorn
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Lower TargetOutperform ➝ Outperform$51.00 ➝ $43.00+55.23%
7/25/2025Robert W. Baird
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Michael Ha
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Lower TargetNeutral ➝ Neutral$68.00 ➝ $28.00+4.80%
7/23/2025Wells Fargo & Company
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Stephen Baxter
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DowngradeOverweight ➝ Equal Weight$72.00 ➝ $30.00+7.72%
7/21/2025TD Cowen
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Ryan Langston
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Reiterated RatingBuy ➝ Hold$73.00 ➝ $33.00+18.07%
7/16/2025Bank of America
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Kevin Fischbeck
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DowngradeNeutral ➝ Underperform$52.00 ➝ $30.00
7/11/2025Mizuho
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Ann Hynes
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Lower TargetNeutral ➝ Neutral$71.00 ➝ $40.00+26.10%
7/10/2025Morgan Stanley
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Ricky Goldwasser
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DowngradeOverweight ➝ Equal Weight$70.00 ➝ $33.00
7/2/2025Barclays
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A. Mok
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Lower TargetEqual Weight ➝ Equal Weight$65.00 ➝ $45.00+20.05%
4/29/2025Jefferies Financial Group
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David Windley
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Lower TargetHold ➝ Hold$64.00 ➝ $61.00+2.98%
4/29/2025Guggenheim
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J. Cassorla
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Reiterated RatingNeutral ➝ Neutral
2/6/2025Argus
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J. Staszak
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DowngradeBuy ➝ Hold
12/13/2024Stephens
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 Lower TargetEqual Weight ➝ Equal Weight$75.00 ➝ $73.00+22.09%
10/30/2024Sanford C. Bernstein
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 Lower TargetOutperform ➝ Outperform$96.00 ➝ $88.00+42.19%
8/2/2024Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft
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 Boost TargetHold ➝ Hold$82.00 ➝ $87.00+11.80%
5/30/2024Baird R W
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M. Ha
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UpgradeHold

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Saturday at 01:57 PM ET.


Should I Buy Centene Stock? CNC Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Thursday, July 31, 2025. Please send any questions or comments about these Centene pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Centene
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Centene Co.:

  • The current stock price is around $26, which may present a buying opportunity for investors looking for value in the healthcare sector.
  • Centene Co. reported a significant revenue increase of 22.4% year-over-year, indicating strong growth potential and demand for its services.
  • The company has a relatively low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, suggesting that the stock may be undervalued compared to its earnings, which can attract value-focused investors.
  • Centene Co. has a solid market capitalization of approximately $12.78 billion, providing stability and resources for future growth initiatives.
  • Recent analyst ratings indicate a consensus "Hold" rating, suggesting that while there may be caution, there is also recognition of the company's potential.

Centene
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Centene Co. for these reasons:

  • Analysts have recently lowered their price targets for Centene Co., with some estimates dropping significantly, which may indicate a lack of confidence in short-term performance.
  • The company reported a loss in earnings per share (EPS) for the latest quarter, missing consensus estimates, which could raise concerns about its profitability.
  • Centene Co. has a relatively high debt-to-equity ratio, which may suggest that the company is relying on debt to finance its operations, potentially increasing financial risk.
  • Recent trading activity shows volatility, with the stock experiencing fluctuations that could deter risk-averse investors.
  • There is a significant percentage of institutional ownership, which can lead to increased volatility if large investors decide to sell their stakes.

CNC Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 17 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Centene is $42.53, with a high forecast of $88.00 and a low forecast of $28.00.

17 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Centene in the last year. There is currently 1 sell rating, 13 hold ratings and 3 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "hold" CNC shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in CNC, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

According to analysts, Centene's stock has a predicted upside of 64.09% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Centene's stock had 4 downgrades by analysts.

Analysts like Centene less than other "medical" companies. The consensus rating for Centene is Hold while the average consensus rating for "medical" companies is Moderate Buy. Learn more on how CNC compares to other companies.


This page (NYSE:CNC) was last updated on 8/2/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff
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