Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) Shares Sold by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. cut its position in shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) by 76.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,210 shares of the company's stock after selling 141,077 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Centene were worth $2,672,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Centene during the third quarter valued at approximately $844,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Centene in the 3rd quarter valued at $211,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Centene by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 42,117 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,171,000 after acquiring an additional 7,549 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Centene by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,152 shares of the company's stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Centene by 3.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 621,664 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,799,000 after purchasing an additional 22,233 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Centene Trading Down 6.2 %

NYSE CNC opened at $57.74 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.64 billion, a PE ratio of 9.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.53. Centene Co. has a one year low of $55.03 and a one year high of $80.59. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Centene (NYSE:CNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.70. The business had revenue of $46.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $43.16 billion. Centene had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 2.03%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.26 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Centene Co. will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CNC shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Centene from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their target price for the company from $53.00 to $64.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Argus lowered shares of Centene from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Centene from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Centene in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Centene from $71.00 to $69.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Centene has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.69.

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.

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