Talon Private Wealth LLC Invests $599,000 in Centene Corporation $CNC

Talon Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 18,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $599,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Centene by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,978,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,344,676,000 after buying an additional 190,334 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Centene by 117.0% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 31,798,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,308,518,000 after buying an additional 17,143,904 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Centene by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,271,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $554,338,000 after acquiring an additional 697,277 shares in the last quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 5,860,630 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Centene by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,002,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $370,456,000 after acquiring an additional 603,585 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CNC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Centene from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Centene from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $53.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Centene from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $61.00 target price (up from $55.00) on shares of Centene in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $80.00 target price (up from $75.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Wednesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.00.

Centene News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large earnings and revenue beat: Centene reported adjusted EPS of $2.51, versus the roughly $1.09 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $53.58 billion, up 9.9% year over year and well above expectations. GAAP net income was $1.09 billion, compared with a loss in the prior-year quarter. Centene Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Profit outlook raised: Management increased 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance to above $4.80 and GAAP diluted EPS guidance to above $3.11. Revenue guidance was raised to $193.5 billion-$197.5 billion, reflecting stronger premium and service revenue growth. Centene Raises Annual Profit Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Improving medical cost trends: The health benefits ratio improved to 89.6% from 93.0% a year earlier. Commercial results were particularly strong, with a 79.2% ratio, while Medicare also showed improvement. Analysts highlighted margin recovery, cost discipline and better Marketplace performance as key drivers. Centene Stock Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation viewed favorably: Recent commentary argues that CNC may still look inexpensive after its substantial advance, with the earnings recovery potentially supporting further gains. Centene Stock Still Looks Like a Bargain
• Neutral Sentiment: Debt and board changes: Centene announced the partial redemption of $500 million of 2027 notes. It also added Paul J. Diaz to the board following Kenneth Burdick’s retirement. These moves are unlikely to materially change near-term earnings but may signal balance-sheet management and governance transition. Centene Announces Partial Redemption of 2027 Notes
• Negative Sentiment: Membership remains a concern: Total at-risk membership declined to 25.885 million, and Medicaid membership softened. Investors appear focused on whether enrollment declines and the Medicaid outlook could limit future revenue growth despite better margins. Centene Back on Track
• Negative Sentiment: Expectations and valuation risk: With CNC near its 52-week high after a 150% run, some investors may be taking profits. Robert W. Baird raised its price target to $66 but maintained a neutral rating, suggesting limited near-term upside from current levels.

Centene Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of Centene stock opened at $61.79 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $30.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.09. Centene Corporation has a 52-week low of $25.08 and a 52-week high of $69.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $1.42. Centene had a negative net margin of 2.51% and a positive return on equity of 12.12%. The firm had revenue of $53.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $47.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.16) earnings per share. The company’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, equities research analysts expect that Centene Corporation will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.