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Centene (CNC) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Centene logo
$36.42 +0.06 (+0.17%)
Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$36.45 +0.03 (+0.08%)
As of 05:20 PM Eastern
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Centene - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2025)

Consensus Rating

Sell
3
Hold
13
Buy
3

Based on 19 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 19 analysts, 3 have given a sell rating, 13 have given a hold rating, and 3 have given a buy rating for CNC.

Consensus Price Target

$39.50
8.45% Upside
According to the 19 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Centene, the average price target is $39.50. The highest price target for CNC is $73.00, while the lowest price target for CNC is $28.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 8.45% from the current price of $36.42.
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

TypeCurrent Forecast
10/14/24 to 10/14/25
1 Month Ago
9/14/24 to 9/14/25
3 Months Ago
7/16/24 to 7/16/25
1 Year Ago
10/15/23 to 10/14/24
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)
3 Buy rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
Hold
13 Hold rating(s)
13 Hold rating(s)
11 Hold rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
Sell
3 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$39.50$38.33$58.63$85.58
Forecasted Upside8.45% Upside15.46% Upside92.88% Upside17.33% Upside
Consensus RatingHoldHoldHoldHold

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
2.00
2.33
2.52
Consensus RatingHoldHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside8.45% Upside1,017.37% Upside12.93% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent CNC News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
10/14/2025Morgan Stanley
3 of 5 stars
Ricky Goldwasser
Ricky Goldwasser
3 of 5 stars
Boost TargetEqual Weight$28.00 ➝ $38.00+5.01%
10/9/2025Mizuho
3 of 5 stars
Ann Hynes
Ann Hynes
3 of 5 stars
Boost TargetNeutral$28.00 ➝ $40.00+4.06%
10/8/2025Weiss Ratings
0 of 5 stars
 Reiterated RatingSell (D)
10/7/2025Wells Fargo & Company
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Set TargetEqual Weight$30.00 ➝ $41.00+8.87%
9/12/2025Barclays
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Boost TargetEqual Weight$33.00 ➝ $35.00+2.49%
9/12/2025Truist Financial
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Boost TargetBuy$35.00 ➝ $39.00+14.20%
9/5/2025Sanford C. Bernstein
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Lower TargetOutperform$40.00 ➝ $36.00+25.68%
8/26/2025Cantor Fitzgerald
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Reiterated RatingNeutral$38.00+30.72%
7/29/2025JPMorgan Chase & Co.
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Lower TargetNeutral$48.00 ➝ $30.00+13.79%
7/28/2025UBS Group
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Lower TargetNeutral$45.00 ➝ $31.00+15.37%
7/28/2025Oppenheimer
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Lower TargetOutperform$51.00 ➝ $43.00+55.23%
7/25/2025Robert W. Baird
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Lower TargetNeutral$68.00 ➝ $28.00+4.80%
7/21/2025TD Cowen
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Reiterated RatingBuyHold$73.00 ➝ $33.00+18.07%
7/16/2025Bank of America
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DowngradeNeutralUnderperform$52.00 ➝ $30.00
4/29/2025Jefferies Financial Group
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Lower TargetHold$64.00 ➝ $61.00+2.98%
4/29/2025Guggenheim
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Reiterated RatingNeutral
2/6/2025Argus
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DowngradeBuyHold
12/13/2024Stephens
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 Lower TargetEqual Weight$75.00 ➝ $73.00+22.09%
8/2/2024Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft
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 Boost TargetHold$82.00 ➝ $87.00+11.80%
5/30/2024Baird R W
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UpgradeHold

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Tuesday at 05:23 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 Monday, October 13, 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 $38, which may present a buying opportunity for investors looking for value in the healthcare sector.
  • Recent insider buying activity, including significant purchases by the CEO and a director, suggests confidence in the company's future performance.
  • Analysts have a consensus rating of "Hold" with a target price around $39, indicating potential for price appreciation based on market expectations.
  • Centene Co. has a relatively low price-to-earnings ratio, which may indicate that the stock is undervalued compared to its earnings potential.
  • The company has shown resilience with a market capitalization of approximately $19 billion, indicating stability and a solid position in the healthcare market.

Centene
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

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

  • Recent price target reductions by multiple analysts, including a significant cut from $71 to $40, may signal concerns about the company's growth prospects.
  • With a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, there are potential risks associated with the company's leverage, which could impact financial stability.
  • The stock has experienced significant volatility, with a 52-week range indicating a high of $73.50 and a low of $25.08, reflecting uncertainty in market sentiment.
  • Thirteen analysts have assigned a "Hold" rating, suggesting that many see limited upside potential in the near term.
  • Recent performance has shown a decline, with the stock dropping significantly over the past year, which may deter risk-averse investors.

CNC Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 19 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Centene is $39.50, with a high forecast of $73.00 and a low forecast of $28.00.

19 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Centene in the last twelve months. There are currently 3 sell ratings, 13 hold ratings and 3 buy ratings 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 8.45% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Centene's stock had 3 downgrades by analysts.

Analysts like Centene less than other "medical" companies. The consensus rating score for Centene is 2.00 while the average consensus rating score for "medical" companies is 2.33. Learn more on how CNC compares to other companies.


This page (NYSE:CNC) was last updated on 10/14/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff
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