Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Shares Sold by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) by 71.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 72,394 shares of the company’s stock after selling 178,282 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Centene were worth $4,386,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its stake in Centene by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 4,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its position in shares of Centene by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of Centene by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 956 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Centene by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intellectus Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Centene by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 7,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Centene Stock Performance

Shares of CNC stock opened at $60.69 on Thursday. Centene Co. has a 52 week low of $55.03 and a 52 week high of $80.59. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $59.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.10 billion, a PE ratio of 9.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.40.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $40.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.78 billion. Centene had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 2.03%. Centene’s revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Centene Co. will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on CNC shares. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Centene from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of Centene from $95.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Centene from $66.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens lowered their price objective on Centene from $75.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 price target (down previously from $80.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Centene has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.92.

Centene 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.