Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Shares Bought by Caprock Group LLC

Caprock Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) by 5.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,959 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 641 shares during the quarter. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in Centene were worth $900,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of Centene in the 1st quarter worth approximately $914,080,000. Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of Centene by 0.4% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 8,652,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $678,033,000 after buying an additional 32,427 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Centene by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,491,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $364,117,000 after purchasing an additional 25,595 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Centene by 14.2% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,113,759 shares of the company’s stock valued at $339,042,000 after buying an additional 636,683 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Centene by 8.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,707,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $312,150,000 after purchasing an additional 385,426 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CNC has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Centene from $80.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on Centene from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Centene in a research note on Monday, August 5th. StockNews.com downgraded Centene from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Centene from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Centene currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.92.

Centene Stock Performance

Shares of CNC opened at $60.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Centene Co. has a one year low of $57.20 and a one year high of $81.42. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $66.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.60. The company has a market capitalization of $30.44 billion, a PE ratio of 10.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.49.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Andrew Lynn Asher bought 17,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $58.14 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,008.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 486,847 shares in the company, valued at $28,305,284.58. This trade represents a 3.66 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Sarah London acquired 4,117 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $60.80 per share, for a total transaction of $250,313.60. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 667,229 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,567,523.20. This trade represents a 0.62 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by 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.