Centene Corporation $CNC Stock Position Decreased by Capital World Investors

Capital World Investors lowered its position in Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 78.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,875,999 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,856,716 shares during the period. Capital World Investors’ holdings in Centene were worth $138,296,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CNC. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its position in Centene by 66.0% during the third quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 85,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,041,000 after acquiring an additional 33,875 shares during the period. Packer & Co Ltd bought a new position in shares of Centene during the 3rd quarter worth about $50,487,000. ARGA Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Centene in the third quarter valued at about $21,485,000. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in Centene by 122.5% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 223,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,962,000 after acquiring an additional 122,870 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of Centene by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,384,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,724,000 after acquiring an additional 199,016 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CNC has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $44.00 target price on Centene and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Centene from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Centene in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Argus upgraded Centene to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Mizuho set a $41.00 price target on Centene and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Centene currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.06.

Centene Price Performance

CNC opened at $35.91 on Thursday. 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 has a market capitalization of $17.66 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.32. Centene Corporation has a one year low of $25.08 and a one year high of $66.03.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last posted 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 positive return on equity of 4.25% and a negative net margin of 3.43%.The firm had revenue of $49.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Centene Corporation will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Centene

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.

Centene 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.