Vinva Investment Management Ltd Boosts Stock Position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) by 187.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 82,630 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 53,909 shares during the quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Centene were worth $6,163,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vantage Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Centene by 17.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vantage Investment Partners LLC now owns 683,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,478,000 after acquiring an additional 99,904 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings in Centene by 35.8% in the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 28,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,857,000 after purchasing an additional 7,385 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank grew its position in Centene by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 118,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,307,000 after purchasing an additional 8,103 shares during the period. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of Centene by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,435,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,063,000 after buying an additional 191,768 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Centene by 526.7% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 56,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,413,000 after buying an additional 47,257 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Centene Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Centene stock opened at $59.92 on Thursday. Centene Co. has a fifty-two week low of $57.20 and a fifty-two week 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 firm has a market capitalization of $30.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.40, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $65.74 and a 200 day moving average of $70.12.

Insider Transactions at Centene

In other news, CEO Sarah London acquired 4,117 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $60.80 per share, with a total value of $250,313.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 667,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,567,523.20. This represents a 0.62 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Andrew Lynn Asher bought 17,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $58.14 per share, with a total value of $1,000,008.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 486,847 shares in the company, valued at $28,305,284.58. This represents a 3.66 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on CNC. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Centene in a research note on Monday, August 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Centene from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Centene from $83.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Centene from $97.00 to $91.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $83.92.

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.