Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Shares Bought by Grove Bank & Trust

Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) by 23.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,039 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,075 shares during the quarter. Grove Bank & Trust’s holdings in Centene were worth $669,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Centene by 136.2% in the 2nd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 13,313 shares of the company’s stock worth $883,000 after acquiring an additional 7,677 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Centene in the 2nd quarter worth about $325,000. Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in Centene by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 26,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,727,000 after buying an additional 2,212 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Centene by 41.0% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 26,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,733,000 after buying an additional 7,602 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Centene by 25.0% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 52,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,471,000 after acquiring an additional 10,453 shares in the last quarter. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Centene Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:CNC opened at $62.19 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.40 billion, a PE ratio of 10.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.45. Centene Co. has a 1 year low of $55.03 and a 1 year high of $81.42. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $60.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.33.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CNC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Centene from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $68.00 to $52.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group raised Centene from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Stephens decreased their price objective on Centene from $75.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Centene from $83.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Centene from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.92.

Insider Transactions at Centene

In other news, CFO Andrew Lynn Asher purchased 17,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $58.14 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,008.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 486,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,305,284.58. The trade was a 3.66 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas Greco acquired 17,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $59.75 per share, for a total transaction of $1,015,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 19,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,153,712.75. This trade represents a 736.25 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 45,010 shares of company stock worth $2,660,276. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.