Korea Investment CORP Raises Stock Holdings in Centene Corporation $CNC

Korea Investment CORP increased its stake in shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 7.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 340,215 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,805 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Centene were worth $12,139,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNC. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in Centene by 66.0% in the third quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 85,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,041,000 after buying an additional 33,875 shares during the period. Packer & Co Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Centene in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,487,000. ARGA Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Centene during the 3rd quarter valued at $21,485,000. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its holdings in Centene by 122.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 223,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,962,000 after purchasing an additional 122,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its position in Centene by 6.2% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 3,384,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $183,724,000 after purchasing an additional 199,016 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Centene Stock Down 1.3%

NYSE:CNC opened at $35.91 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $17.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.48. Centene Corporation has a one year low of $25.08 and a one year high of $66.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.32.

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

Centene News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Superior HealthPlan (a Centene unit) named a Rio Grande Valley provider a Foster Care Center of Excellence — a local operating win that supports managed‑care positioning in Texas. Superior HealthPlan Names Cute Pediatrics as First Rio Grande Valley Provider to Earn Foster Care Distinction
• Positive Sentiment: Company update: Centene reaffirmed its 2026 outlook and redeemed certain debt notes — signaling liquidity/commitment to guidance despite near‑term headwinds. Centene Reaffirms 2026 Outlook and Redeems Debt Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presentation/transcript from Barclays conference is available — useful for detail on guidance and membership trends but did not offset market concern. Centene Corporation (CNC) Presents at Barclays 28th Annual Global Healthcare Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: analysts note HMO names face cost pressure, nursing shortages and policy risk — structural headwinds that increase sensitivity to ACA enrollment swings. 4 HMO Stocks to Watch Despite Escalating Costs, Nursing Shortage
• Negative Sentiment: CEO warning of a steep ACA membership decline: management said individual-market enrollment may fall to ~3.5M from ~5.5M — a dramatic reduction that directly cuts revenue and hurts margins, and was cited as the primary catalyst for the selloff. Centene (CNC) Stock Plunges 14% as CEO Warns of Massive ACA Enrollment Decline
• Negative Sentiment: News and market reactions: multiple outlets report shares falling after executives flagged steeper ACA membership losses; Mizuho and other analysts lowered targets/expressed caution. Centene shares fall as health insurer sees steeper drop in Obamacare memberships
• Negative Sentiment: Broader coverage: stories framing the “slow death” of enhanced ACA subsidies and plunging enrollment directly link the policy shift to Centene’s weakness. Obamacare’s Slow Death Is Debilitating Centene Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Market signals: unusually high put‑option volume and elevated trading volume show short/bear positioning and higher conviction among downside traders, amplifying price moves.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Centene from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Centene from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Centene from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Mizuho set a $41.00 price objective on shares of Centene and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Centene from $32.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.06.

About Centene

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.