Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd Has $1.16 Million Stock Position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd lifted its position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) by 166.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,200 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 12,000 shares during the period. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Centene were worth $1,163,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in CNC. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in shares of Centene by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Centene in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Centene in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Centene by 73.4% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co increased its position in shares of Centene by 172.7% in the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director H James Dallas acquired 1,693 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $59.01 per share, for a total transaction of $99,903.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,693 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $99,903.93. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Thomas Greco acquired 17,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $59.75 per share, with a total value of $1,015,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 19,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,153,712.75. The trade was a 736.25 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CNC shares. UBS Group upgraded Centene from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Centene from $66.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Argus cut Centene from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 target price (down previously from $80.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Centene in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.92.

Centene Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:CNC opened at $58.27 on Friday. Centene Co. has a 52-week low of $55.03 and a 52-week high of $80.59. The company has a market capitalization of $28.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.31. Centene had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The business had revenue of $40.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.78 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.45 EPS. Centene’s revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Centene Co. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Centene Profile

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.