3,063 Shares in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Acquired by Syon Capital LLC

Syon Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $227,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Centene during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Centene by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 145,769 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,818,000 after buying an additional 13,513 shares in the last quarter. Harris Associates L P grew its holdings in Centene by 172.8% in the 4th quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 10,863,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $806,170,000 after buying an additional 6,881,450 shares in the last quarter. Barden Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Centene by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Barden Capital Management Inc. now owns 28,814 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,003,000 after buying an additional 3,979 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Centene in the 4th quarter valued at $9,756,000. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on CNC shares. StockNews.com upgraded Centene from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. Baird R W upgraded Centene to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Centene in a report on Monday, April 29th. Barclays upped their price target on Centene from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Centene from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.93.

Centene Price Performance

CNC stock opened at $66.39 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s 50-day moving average is $73.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.28. Centene Co. has a 1 year low of $60.83 and a 1 year high of $81.42.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.17. Centene had a return on equity of 14.19% and a net margin of 1.76%. The business had revenue of $40.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.11 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Centene Co. will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Kenneth J. Fasola sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.62, for a total value of $620,960.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 300,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,313,710.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Christopher J. Coughlin sold 878 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.75, for a total transaction of $67,386.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,957,432. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, President Kenneth J. Fasola sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.62, for a total value of $620,960.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 300,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,313,710.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Centene Company 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.