Zacks Research Weighs in on Centene’s Q2 Earnings (NYSE:CNC)

Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) – Analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q2 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Centene in a research note issued on Wednesday, July 16th. Zacks Research analyst K. Dey now anticipates that the company will earn $0.91 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.07. The consensus estimate for Centene’s current full-year earnings is $6.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Centene’s Q3 2025 earnings at $0.56 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.11) EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.26 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.33 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.22 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.66 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.03) EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.19 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.47 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.58 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.98 EPS.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.38. Centene had a return on equity of 14.56% and a net margin of 2.04%. The firm had revenue of $46.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.26 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on CNC. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $45.00 price objective (down previously from $80.00) on shares of Centene in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Centene from $71.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Oppenheimer set a $51.00 price objective on Centene and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Centene from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Centene from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $58.63.

Centene Stock Down 4.1%

CNC stock opened at $27.95 on Monday. Centene has a twelve month low of $27.88 and a twelve month high of $80.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $13.91 billion, a PE ratio of 4.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50 day moving average of $50.03 and a 200 day moving average of $56.98.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Centene

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Centene by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,111,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,337,000 after buying an additional 208,908 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in Centene by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 7,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares during the period. Sterneck Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Centene in the 2nd quarter worth $336,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Centene by 82.3% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 12,427 shares of the company’s stock worth $675,000 after purchasing an additional 5,611 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Centene by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 60,307 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,273,000 after purchasing an additional 2,625 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.