Bridgewater Associates LP Has $35.17 Million Stock Holdings in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its stake in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) by 5.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 467,245 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 23,241 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP owned approximately 0.09% of Centene worth $35,174,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CNC. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Centene by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 654,251 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,252,000 after purchasing an additional 18,066 shares during the period. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of Centene by 820.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 37,020 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,787,000 after purchasing an additional 33,000 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in Centene by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,002,085 shares of the company's stock worth $74,736,000 after purchasing an additional 87,334 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Centene by 75.3% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 773 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Centene by 31.1% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 118,810 shares of the company's stock worth $8,944,000 after buying an additional 28,175 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CNC shares. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Centene in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Centene from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on shares of Centene from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Centene from $80.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Centene from $97.00 to $91.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $83.92.

Insider Activity

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

Centene Trading Down 0.3 %

CNC stock traded down $0.20 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $59.80. 2,014,061 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,044,637. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.19 billion, a PE ratio of 10.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.49. Centene Co. has a 52-week low of $57.20 and a 52-week high of $81.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The business's 50 day moving average price is $66.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.19.

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.