Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Shares Sold by Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV

Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV decreased its position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) by 46.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,774 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,302 shares during the quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV’s holdings in Centene were worth $296,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CNC. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Centene in the third quarter worth $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Centene in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Centene in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Centene during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Headinvest LLC acquired a new stake in Centene during the third quarter worth about $35,000. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Centene Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:CNC opened at $67.48 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $73.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $75.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Centene Co. has a 12-month low of $60.83 and a 12-month high of $81.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.47.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $40.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.43 billion. Centene had a return on equity of 14.19% and a net margin of 1.76%. The business’s revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.11 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Centene Co. will post 6.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Centene

In other news, Director Christopher J. Coughlin sold 878 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.75, for a total transaction of $67,386.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,957,432. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Christopher J. Coughlin sold 878 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.75, for a total transaction of $67,386.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,957,432. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Kenneth J. Fasola sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.62, for a total value of $620,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 300,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,313,710.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on CNC shares. Baird R W upgraded Centene to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Centene in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Centene from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Centene in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Centene in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $83.00 price objective on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Centene currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.93.

About Centene

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.