Centene Corporation $CNC Shares Acquired by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 16.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 104,905 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,964 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Centene were worth $3,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Centene by 1.5% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 58,396,605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,169,768,000 after purchasing an additional 869,706 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Centene during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,435,997,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Centene by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,186,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,258,586,000 after buying an additional 514,600 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Centene by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,208,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $718,547,000 after buying an additional 279,637 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Centene by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 11,725,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $636,482,000 after buying an additional 633,946 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of Centene in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Centene from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $41.00 target price on shares of Centene in a report on Monday, February 9th. Mizuho set a $41.00 price target on shares of Centene in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Centene from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.06.

Centene Stock Performance

Centene stock opened at $36.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $17.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.48. Centene Corporation has a 12 month low of $25.08 and a 12 month high of $66.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $43.20 and its 200-day moving average is $38.33.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The company reported ($1.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.22) by $0.03. Centene had a negative net margin of 3.43% and a positive return on equity of 4.25%. The company had revenue of $49.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. Centene’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.000 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Centene Corporation will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

More Centene News

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Centene’s Texas unit, Superior HealthPlan, added a Foster Care Center of Excellence in the Rio Grande Valley—a local operational win that supports member engagement in a core managed‑care market. Superior HealthPlan Names Cute Pediatrics
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its 2026 outlook and completed debt note redemptions, which reduces refinancing risk and signals confidence in the company’s capital plan. That helps offset some headline pressure. Centene Reaffirms 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Some research services still highlight Centene as a momentum-ranked name, which could attract tactical buyers if sentiment stabilizes. Centene is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Centene presented at the Barclays Healthcare Conference; the transcript provides management commentary investors can parse for member trends and margin outlook. Barclays Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus remains cautious with a general “Hold” stance, limiting immediate upward pressure from upgrades. Consensus “Hold” Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes Centene has underperformed the Nasdaq recently, signaling relative weakness versus the market but not new company‑specific news. Is Centene Underperforming the Nasdaq?
• Negative Sentiment: Company executives warned of a steeper-than-expected drop in Obamacare memberships, a direct negative for revenue and margin assumptions in segments tied to ACA enrollment. That disclosure is the primary driver of the selloff. Centene Shares Fall on ACA Membership Drop
• Negative Sentiment: Broader reporting shows Obamacare enrollment is plunging as costs rise, a sector headwind hitting Centene and peers and pressuring revenue forecasts. Obamacare Enrollment Plunging
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and headlines note CNC’s large share decline over the past year and continued downside pressure today, reinforcing negative sentiment among investors. Why Is Centene Stock Falling?
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually heavy put‑option volume indicates traders are positioning for further downside in CNC, amplifying intraday selling pressure. (Options flow data)

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.