Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC Sells 66,024 Shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC reduced its stake in shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 922,319 shares of the company's stock after selling 66,024 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC owned 0.18% of Centene worth $69,432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in Centene in the first quarter valued at approximately $914,080,000. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Centene by 60.2% during the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,216,486 shares of the company's stock worth $409,390,000 after buying an additional 1,959,460 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Centene by 22.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,461,517 shares of the company's stock worth $295,799,000 after buying an additional 832,318 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 636,683 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its holdings in Centene by 42.3% during the 2nd quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 1,400,276 shares of the company's stock worth $92,838,000 after acquiring an additional 416,003 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.63% of the company's stock.

Centene Stock Up 2.0 %

CNC traded up $1.20 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $60.30. 3,415,584 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,036,831. Centene Co. has a 1 year low of $57.20 and a 1 year high of $81.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.44 billion, a PE ratio of 10.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $67.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.68.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Centene from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Centene from $97.00 to $91.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Centene from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Centene in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Centene from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Centene has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $83.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Centene

In related news, CEO Sarah London bought 4,117 shares of Centene stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $60.80 per share, with a total value of $250,313.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 667,229 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,567,523.20. The trade was a 0.62 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew Lynn Asher purchased 17,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $58.14 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,008.00. Following the acquisition, 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.