Centene (NYSE:CNC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Centene (NYSE:CNC) had its price target increased by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $67.00 to $75.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 9.86% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of Centene from $75.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Centene in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Centene from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Argus upgraded Centene from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $69.00 price target on Centene and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Centene presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.30.

Centene Stock Performance

Shares of CNC traded up $1.22 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $68.27. 5,626,473 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,629,139. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $65.94 and its 200 day moving average is $55.04. Centene has a 1-year low of $31.63 and a 1-year high of $72.50. The stock has a market cap of $33.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.13.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.48. Centene had a negative net margin of 2.51% and a positive return on equity of 12.12%. The firm had revenue of $50.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $47.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.50 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Centene will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Centene

In other Centene news, General Counsel Christopher Koster sold 56,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.90, for a total transaction of $3,779,850.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 248,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,648,332.60. The trade was a 18.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CNC. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Centene during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,660,422,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Centene by 423.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,301,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $853,805,000 after acquiring an additional 10,757,914 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Centene by 12.4% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,517,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,173,000 after acquiring an additional 608,249 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Centene by 21.6% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,518,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,818,000 after acquiring an additional 802,756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Centene during the second quarter worth approximately $285,713,000. Institutional investors own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Centene

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Centene exceeded third-quarter earnings expectations and raised its 2026 outlook, forecasting adjusted EPS above $5.20. Management said the Medicare business is expected to reach breakeven a year earlier than planned, supporting the stock’s recent advance. Centene forecasts 2026 adjusted EPS greater than $5.20
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts responded by raising their price targets, including UBS to $78, Barclays to $82, Baird to $71 and Cantor Fitzgerald to $79. Barclays and Cantor maintained overweight ratings, indicating additional potential upside despite UBS and Baird retaining neutral views. Centene analysts boost forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage characterizes Centene as a potential long-term value and momentum stock. The earnings beat, raised sales outlook and improving Medicare profitability strengthen the investment case if the recovery continues. Centene stock may still be a bargain

About Centene

Centene Corporation is a diversified healthcare enterprise that provides government-sponsored and commercial health insurance programs and related healthcare services. The company’s offerings are primarily focused on Medicaid, Medicare, and health insurance marketplace plans, with an emphasis on serving individuals and families who may have limited access to traditional healthcare coverage.

Centene operates Medicaid health plans through state-based contracts and offers Medicare Advantage, Medicare prescription drug, and Medicare Supplement products through its Wellcare brand.