Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) Receives $42.00 Average PT from Analysts

Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $52.1176.

Several equities analysts recently commented on CNC shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of Centene in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Bank of America upgraded Centene from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “sell” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of Centene in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho raised their target price on Centene from $41.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Centene from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $41.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday.

Key Stories Impacting Centene

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: Centene reported stronger-than-expected EPS and raised its outlook, which supports margin improvement narratives that helped multiple brokers upgrade or re-assess the name. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street bullish notes: Truist reiterated a Buy rating and Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded the stock, signaling investor confidence from some major brokers. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term recovery thesis boosted: A Seeking Alpha piece highlights promising 2027 turnaround prospects and potential momentum reversal—supportive for investors focused on multi‑year recovery. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $56 while keeping an Equal Weight view, indicating some upside in the broker community even as conviction is measured. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broker PTs raised but ratings cautious: Deutsche Bank, Mizuho and Morgan Stanley all lifted targets (to $53, $50 and $50 respectively) but maintained Hold/Neutral/Equal Weight stances — a modest vote of confidence that stops short of strong endorsement. Read More. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ opinions remain mixed overall — coverage notes a blend of upgrades and cautious takes, keeping sentiment balanced rather than uniformly positive. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Lower consensus price target: A brokerage consensus report shows a $42 average target — well below current levels — which could cap upside if that view gains traction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution concerns flagged: A Seeking Alpha commentary warns that further upside will require better operational execution, a caution investors may lean on after recent volatility. Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Centene

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Centene by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,978,753 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,344,676,000 after purchasing an additional 190,334 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Centene by 117.0% in 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 purchasing an additional 17,143,904 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Centene by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,271,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $554,338,000 after purchasing an additional 697,277 shares during the last quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. raised its position in Centene by 184.0% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 603,585 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Centene Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CNC opened at $53.37 on Tuesday. Centene has a 1-year low of $25.08 and a 1-year high of $64.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.36 billion, a PE ratio of -4.06, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.06. The business’s 50 day moving average is $38.91 and its 200-day moving average is $39.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $3.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $1.14. The business had revenue of $49.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $47.53 billion. Centene had a positive return on equity of 5.57% and a negative net margin of 3.25%.Centene’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Centene will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Centene Company 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.