Zacks Research Has Negative Estimate for Centene Q1 Earnings

Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Centene in a report issued on Thursday, November 14th. Zacks Research analyst K. Dey now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $2.62 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.69. The consensus estimate for Centene's current full-year earnings is $6.83 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Centene's Q3 2025 earnings at $1.82 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.96 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.24 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.91 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $2.04 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut Centene from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $83.00 to $69.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Centene in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Centene from $80.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Centene from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $83.92.

Centene Trading Up 2.4 %

Centene stock traded up $1.37 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $58.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,089,677 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,006,658. The stock's fifty day moving average is $68.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.70 billion, a PE ratio of 9.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.49. Centene has a 1 year low of $57.20 and a 1 year high of $81.42.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Centene

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Centene by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 9,229 shares of the company's stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the period. Fortem Financial Group LLC increased its position in Centene by 35.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC now owns 8,345 shares of the company's stock worth $628,000 after purchasing an additional 2,175 shares during the period. Gould Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Centene by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Gould Capital LLC now owns 14,400 shares of the company's stock worth $1,084,000 after buying an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Centene by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 13,515 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,017,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in Centene by 6.9% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 30,118 shares of the company's stock worth $2,267,000 after acquiring an additional 1,946 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Centene

In other Centene news, CEO Sarah London acquired 4,117 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were bought 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 owns 667,229 shares in the company, valued at $40,567,523.20. This trade represents a 0.62 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew Lynn Asher bought 17,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were acquired 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 directly owns 486,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,305,284.58. This trade represents a 3.66 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.