Centene Corporation $CNC Stock Position Increased by Jones Financial Companies Lllp

Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 222.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,441 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 19,628 shares during the quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp’s holdings in Centene were worth $991,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Centene in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,435,997,000. Packer & Co Ltd acquired a new position in Centene in the third quarter worth approximately $50,487,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Centene in the second quarter valued at $65,105,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Centene by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 58,396,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,169,768,000 after acquiring an additional 869,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in shares of Centene during the second quarter worth $40,471,000. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CNC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research raised Centene from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Centene from $25.00 to $32.00 in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays set a $44.00 price target on shares of Centene and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Centene from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $41.00 target price on shares of Centene in a report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Centene currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.50.

Key Headlines Impacting Centene

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks/MSN published pieces arguing Centene is a long‑term value stock, highlighting attractive valuation metrics and the company’s scale in government-sponsored health plans; this kind of favorable narrative can support investor demand. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Centene’s community outreach via Superior HealthPlan and The Centene Foundation (No One Eats Alone program in Texas schools) is positive for brand and ESG perception—helps long‑term reputation with payors and state partners. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target to $39 (from $32) and kept a Hold rating—an upward revision that signals modestly improved analyst expectations even if the rating stayed conservative. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen also raised its target to $38 (from $34) and maintained a Hold—another incremental upgrade to analyst targets that can support the stock after recent volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Argus moved Centene to a Hold—an analyst change that reduces downside concern but is not a clear buy signal. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a Neutral rating, keeping consensus sentiment cautious given regulatory and margin pressures. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained its Hold on Centene, consistent with the mixed analyst tone—supportive of stability but not a catalyst for a large rerating. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Axios/other outlets report Centene is among insurers to receive subpoenas from a House panel—this introduces regulatory and legal risk that could pressure sentiment and create short‑term volatility. Read More.

Centene Trading Up 2.1%

NYSE CNC opened at $40.43 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.87 billion, a PE ratio of -2.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.48. Centene Corporation has a 1-year low of $25.08 and a 1-year high of $66.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.18.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported ($1.19) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.22) by $0.03. The company had revenue of $49.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.41 billion. Centene had a positive return on equity of 4.25% and a negative net margin of 3.43%.The business’s revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Centene Corporation will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.