FY2026 Earnings Estimate for Centene Co. Issued By Zacks Research (NYSE:CNC)

Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of Centene in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, June 26th. Zacks Research analyst K. Dey now expects that the company will earn $8.49 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $8.47. The consensus estimate for Centene’s current full-year earnings is $6.82 per share.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.17. Centene had a return on equity of 14.19% and a net margin of 1.76%. The firm had revenue of $40.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.43 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.11 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CNC. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Centene from $101.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Baird R W raised Centene to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Centene from $89.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of Centene in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $83.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $83.00 price target on shares of Centene in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $84.93.

Centene Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of CNC opened at $66.30 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $35.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.47. Centene has a fifty-two week low of $60.83 and a fifty-two week high of $81.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average of $72.59 and a 200 day moving average of $74.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Centene

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Centene in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,325,441,000. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of Centene in the first quarter worth about $914,080,000. Harris Associates L P lifted its holdings in Centene by 172.8% during the fourth quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 10,863,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $806,170,000 after purchasing an additional 6,881,450 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Centene by 60.2% in the 1st 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. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Centene by 535.9% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,837,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,396,000 after acquiring an additional 1,548,961 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.63% 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.