Centene (CNC) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Q: What analysts cover Centene?

Centene has been rated by research analysts at Argus , Bank of America , Barclays , Cantor Fitzgerald , Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft , JPMorgan Chase & Co. , Mizuho , Morgan Stanley , Oppenheimer , Raymond James Financial , Robert W. Baird , Royal Bank Of Canada , Sanford C. Bernstein , Stifel Nicolaus , TD Cowen , Truist Financial , UBS Group , Weiss Ratings , Wells Fargo & Company , and Zacks Research in the past 90 days.

$67.53 +1.49 (+2.25%)

Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$67.61 +0.09 (+0.13%)

As of 08:00 PM Eastern

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Centene - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Hold

Based on 20 Analyst Ratings

Sell
2

Hold
9

Buy
9

Based on 20 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 20 analysts, 2 have given a sell rating, 9 have given a hold rating, 8 have given a buy rating, and 1 has given a strong buy rating for CNC.

Consensus Price Target

$69.15
2.40% Upside

According to the 20 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Centene, the average price target is $69.15. The highest price target for CNC is $80.00, while the lowest price target for CNC is $40.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 2.40% from the current price of $67.53.

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.

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CNC Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 8/14/25 to 8/14/26	1 Month Ago 7/15/25 to 7/15/26	3 Months Ago 5/16/25 to 5/16/26	1 Year Ago 8/14/24 to 8/14/25
Strong Buy	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	8 Buy rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)
Hold	9 Hold rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)	13 Hold rating(s)
Sell	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$69.15	$64.61	$53.82	$42.20
Forecasted Upside	2.40% Upside	-3.19% Downside	-7.60% Downside	56.69% Upside
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Hold	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.

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.

Centene Stock vs. The Competition

Type	Centene	Healthcare Companies	Broader Market
Consensus Rating Score	2.40	2.30	2.53
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	2.40% Upside	784.65% Upside	11.04% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent CNC News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

Export

Date	Brokerage	Analyst	Action	Rating	Price Target	Report Date Upside/Downside
8/11/2026	Argus 3 of 5 stars	John Staszak 3 of 5 stars	Upgrade	Hold ➝ Buy	$80.00	+20.28%
8/4/2026	JPMorgan Chase & Co. 3 of 5 stars	John Stansel Not Rated	Boost Target	Neutral	$60.00 ➝ $67.00	+4.48%
8/3/2026	Stifel Nicolaus 4 of 5 stars		Set Target		$79.00	+26.95%
8/3/2026	Sanford C. Bernstein Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Lance Wilkes Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Outperform	$68.00 ➝ $79.00	+26.95%
7/29/2026	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Erin Wright Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target		$66.00	+7.20%
7/29/2026	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Andrew Mok Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Overweight	$75.00 ➝ $80.00	+24.75%
7/29/2026	Zacks Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Hold ➝ Strong-Buy
7/29/2026	Robert W. Baird Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Michael Ha Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Neutral	$46.00 ➝ $66.00	+2.92%
7/17/2026	Weiss Ratings Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Sell (D)
7/14/2026	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ryan Langston Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Hold	$47.00 ➝ $65.00	-5.62%
Get the Latest News and Ratings for CNC and Related Stocks Enter your email address below to receive the latest news and analysts' ratings for Centene and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter.
7/14/2026	Truist Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	David MacDonald Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Buy	$71.00 ➝ $78.00	+13.38%
7/13/2026	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Stephen Baxter Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target	Equal Weight	$56.00 ➝ $69.00	+1.17%
7/9/2026	Royal Bank Of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ben Hendrix Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Sector Perform	$70.00 ➝ $71.00	+6.05%
7/7/2026	Raymond James Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Sarah James Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target		$75.00	+12.44%
7/7/2026	Cantor Fitzgerald Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Sarah James Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Overweight	$60.00 ➝ $75.00	+13.60%
6/8/2026	Mizuho Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Ann Hynes Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target	Neutral	$58.00 ➝ $63.00	+0.47%
6/4/2026	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Kevin Fischbeck Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Buy	$72.00 ➝ $74.00	+18.12%
5/27/2026	Oppenheimer Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Michael Wiederhorn Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Outperform	$58.00 ➝ $67.00	+12.22%
5/22/2026	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	A.J. Rice Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Neutral	$55.00 ➝ $61.00	+5.69%
5/20/2026	Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	George Hill Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Hold ➝ Buy	$53.00 ➝ $80.00	+35.20%
4/29/2026	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Sell	$40.00	-19.07%
4/29/2026	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	David Windley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Hold	$39.00 ➝ $48.00	-2.88%
4/29/2025	Guggenheim Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Jason Cassorla Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Neutral
12/13/2024	Stephens Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Equal Weight	$75.00 ➝ $73.00	+22.09%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Saturday at 12:41 AM 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 Friday, August 14, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Centene pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Centene
Bull Case

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

Centene Co. reported earnings per share of $2.51 for the latest quarter, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations, indicating strong financial performance.
The company has shown a positive return on equity of 12.12%, suggesting effective management and profitability relative to shareholder equity.
Recent revenue growth of approximately 9.9% year-over-year demonstrates the company's ability to expand its business and capture more market share.
Analysts have set a consensus price target of around $69.15, indicating potential upside for investors based on current market conditions.
Centene Co. has a diversified portfolio, providing services to government-sponsored health programs, which can offer stability and resilience against market fluctuations.

Centene
Bear Case

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

The company has a negative net margin of 2.51%, which may raise concerns about its profitability and cost management.
Some analysts have issued "sell" ratings, indicating a lack of confidence in the stock's future performance.
Despite recent revenue growth, the company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.800 EPS, which may not meet investor expectations for higher growth.
Centene Co. operates in a highly regulated industry, which can lead to uncertainties and potential compliance costs that may impact profitability.
Market sentiment can be influenced by broader economic conditions, and any downturn could adversely affect Centene Co.'s stock performance.

CNC Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 20 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Centene is $69.15, with a high forecast of $80.00 and a low forecast of $40.00.

20 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Centene in the last year. There are currently 2 sell ratings, 9 hold ratings, 8 buy ratings and 1 strong buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities 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 2.40% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Centene's stock had 3 upgrades and 1 downgrade by analysts.

Centene has been rated by research analysts at Argus, Bank of America, Barclays, Cantor Fitzgerald, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, Raymond James Financial, Robert W. Baird, Royal Bank Of Canada, Sanford C. Bernstein, Stifel Nicolaus, TD Cowen, Truist Financial, UBS Group, Weiss Ratings, Wells Fargo & Company, and Zacks Research in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Centene more than other "healthcare" companies. The consensus rating score for Centene is 2.40 while the average consensus rating score for "healthcare" companies is 2.30. Learn more on how CNC compares to other companies.

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This page (NYSE:CNC) was last updated on 8/14/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.

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Centene (CNC) Stock Forecast & Price Target