Cerity Partners LLC Buys 25,412 Shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) by 41.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 86,587 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,412 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Centene were worth $6,518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vantage Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Centene by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vantage Investment Partners LLC now owns 683,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,478,000 after purchasing an additional 99,904 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in Centene by 35.8% in the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 28,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,857,000 after buying an additional 7,385 shares during the period. Comerica Bank lifted its position in shares of Centene by 7.3% in the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 118,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,307,000 after buying an additional 8,103 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of Centene by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,435,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,063,000 after acquiring an additional 191,768 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Centene by 526.7% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 56,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,413,000 after acquiring an additional 47,257 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Centene news, CFO Andrew Lynn Asher purchased 17,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $58.14 per share, with a total value of $1,000,008.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 486,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,305,284.58. This represents a 3.66 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sarah London acquired 4,117 shares of Centene stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $60.80 per share, for a total transaction of $250,313.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 667,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,567,523.20. This represents a 0.62 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Centene Stock Down 0.1 %

CNC stock opened at $59.92 on Thursday. Centene Co. has a 52 week low of $57.20 and a 52 week high of $81.42. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $30.25 billion, a PE ratio of 10.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.49.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Centene from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Centene from $80.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Centene from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $90.00 price objective on shares of Centene in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a 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 $83.92.

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.