Quantinno Capital Management LP Boosts Stock Position in Centene Corporation $CNC

Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 6.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 842,199 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52,983 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP owned about 0.17% of Centene worth $27,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Centene by 117.0% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 31,798,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,308,518,000 after purchasing an additional 17,143,904 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Centene during the 4th quarter worth approximately $332,044,000. Deerfield Management Company L.P. raised its stake in shares of Centene by 184.0% during the 3rd quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. now owns 9,046,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $322,761,000 after buying an additional 5,860,630 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Centene by 52.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,171,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,111,000 after buying an additional 2,472,341 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Centene by 535.6% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,750,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $113,176,000 after buying an additional 2,317,618 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $80.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 target price (up from $47.00) on shares of Centene in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Centene from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Centene from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $69.00 price objective on shares of Centene and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Centene currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $67.00.

Centene Stock Performance

Shares of CNC stock opened at $62.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $30.74 billion, a PE ratio of -5.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.07. Centene Corporation has a 1 year low of $25.08 and a 1 year high of $69.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $63.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $50.27.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $1.42. The business had revenue of $53.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $47.64 billion. Centene had a positive return on equity of 12.12% and a negative net margin of 2.51%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.16) earnings per share. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.800- EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Centene Corporation will post 4.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Centene

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q2 results and raised outlook: Centene reported adjusted earnings of $2.51 per share, well above the $1.09 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 9.9% year over year to $53.58 billion. The insurer also raised its 2026 earnings outlook to at least $4.80 per share, citing contained medical costs. Centene Lifts 2026 Outlook as Insurer Contains Medical Costs
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support has strengthened: Zacks Research upgraded CNC from “hold” to “strong buy,” while Truist maintained its buy rating. Robert W. Baird also expects the stock to rise, providing additional support for the recent rally. Zacks.com Truist Financial Keeps Their Buy Rating on Centene
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and valuation remain favorable: Zacks included Centene among its Rank #1 momentum stocks, and other analyses describe CNC as potentially undervalued following its earnings recovery. These reports may attract momentum and value-oriented investors. Best Momentum Stock to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative investment appeal: A comparison with UnitedHealth favors UNH because of its diversified platform, Optum growth and artificial-intelligence investments. The assessment does not identify a new negative development at Centene but could limit CNC’s appeal among managed-care investors. UnitedHealth vs. Centene
• Negative Sentiment: Medicaid and membership concerns persist: Coverage highlights declining membership and ongoing Medicaid-related pressure, which could challenge revenue growth and margins even as medical-cost trends improve. Medicaid Weighs on Centene

Centene Company Profile

Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) is a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise that specializes in providing services to government-sponsored and national health programs. The company primarily acts as a managed care organization, delivering healthcare coverage and administering benefits for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare Advantage, and individual marketplace plans. Centene also contracts with federal and state agencies to manage specialty care programs and community-based services for vulnerable populations.

Centene’s offerings extend beyond traditional insurance to include a range of specialty and support services.