Symmetry Partners LLC Has $358,000 Stock Position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

Symmetry Partners LLC cut its position in shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) by 11.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,399 shares of the company’s stock after selling 676 shares during the period. Symmetry Partners LLC’s holdings in Centene were worth $358,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CNC. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Centene in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Centene in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. bought a new position in Centene during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Centene in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Centene during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CNC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Centene in a report on Monday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Centene from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird began coverage on Centene in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $83.00 price objective on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of Centene to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Centene from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.36.

Insider Transactions at Centene

In related news, Director Christopher J. Coughlin sold 878 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.75, for a total value of $67,386.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 25,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,957,432. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Centene news, Director Christopher J. Coughlin sold 878 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.75, for a total transaction of $67,386.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,957,432. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, President Kenneth J. Fasola sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.62, for a total transaction of $620,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 300,357 shares in the company, valued at $23,313,710.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Centene Price Performance

NYSE:CNC traded up $0.48 on Friday, reaching $76.00. The stock had a trading volume of 2,566,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,519,388. The company has a market capitalization of $40.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $69.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $73.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Centene Co. has a 1-year low of $60.83 and a 1-year high of $81.42.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $39.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.83 billion. Centene had a net margin of 1.79% and a return on equity of 14.45%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Centene Co. will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

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.