Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Takes $211,000 Position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 2,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $211,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Harris Associates L P lifted its position in shares of Centene by 5.7% in the third quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 26,314,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,980,932,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420,825 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of Centene by 14.2% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,113,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $339,042,000 after buying an additional 636,683 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Centene by 15.4% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 3,203,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,126,000 after acquiring an additional 428,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its holdings in Centene by 42.3% in the 2nd quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 1,400,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,838,000 after acquiring an additional 416,003 shares during the last quarter. 93.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Centene Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CNC opened at $59.49 on Thursday. Centene Co. has a 52 week low of $55.03 and a 52 week high of $81.42. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $61.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.35. The company has a market cap of $30.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.33, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CNC shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on Centene from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Centene from $95.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Centene from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective (down from $80.00) on shares of Centene in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Centene from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Sarah London purchased 4,117 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $60.80 per share, with a total value of $250,313.60. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 667,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,567,523.20. The trade was a 0.62 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director H James Dallas bought 1,693 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $59.01 per share, for a total transaction of $99,903.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,693 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $99,903.93. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 28,010 shares of company stock valued at $1,644,526 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Centene 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.