Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Invests $556,000 in Centene Corporation $CNC

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 15,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $556,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CNC. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Centene by 117.0% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 31,798,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,308,518,000 after acquiring an additional 17,143,904 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Centene during the fourth quarter worth approximately $332,044,000. Deerfield Management Company L.P. grew its position in Centene by 184.0% during the third quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. now owns 9,046,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,761,000 after purchasing an additional 5,860,630 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Centene by 52.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,171,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,111,000 after buying an additional 2,472,341 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in Centene by 535.6% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,750,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,176,000 after buying an additional 2,317,618 shares in the last quarter. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Centene Price Performance

NYSE CNC opened at $64.21 on Friday. Centene Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $25.08 and a fifty-two week high of $69.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $64.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.82. The firm has a market cap of $31.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $1.42. Centene had a positive return on equity of 12.12% and a negative net margin of 2.51%.The business had revenue of $53.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $47.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.16) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.800- EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Centene Corporation will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Centene News

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Centene reported adjusted second-quarter EPS of $2.51, well above the $1.09 analyst consensus, while revenue reached $53.58 billion. The health benefits ratio improved to 89.6% from 93.0% a year earlier, indicating better pricing, rate increases and medical-cost management. Centene Corp. Surged on Earnings Beat and Improved Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to more than $4.80 from more than $3.40 and increased its full-year revenue outlook. The higher forecast is the main reason investors have continued bidding up CNC after earnings. Why Centene Is Up After Raising Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Centene’s redemption of its 2027 notes should reduce near-term refinancing risk and may lower interest expense, adding to the improved financial outlook. Centene Guidance and Debt Redemption
• Positive Sentiment: A recently awarded Illinois Medicaid contract for Centene’s Meridian Health Plan could provide additional support for government-program enrollment and future revenue. Centene Rises on Profit Recovery and Higher Outlook

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on CNC shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Centene from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $69.00 price objective on Centene and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Centene in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Centene from $46.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $80.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $68.58.

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.