Centene (NYSE:CNC) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Centene (NYSE:CNC) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on CNC. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Centene in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $43.00 price objective on Centene and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Centene from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research raised Centene from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Centene in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.81.

Centene Price Performance

CNC stock opened at $38.46 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $42.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.89. Centene has a 12-month low of $25.08 and a 12-month high of $66.03. The company has a market capitalization of $18.90 billion, a PE ratio of -3.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported ($1.19) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.22) by $0.03. The company had revenue of $49.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.41 billion. Centene had a positive return on equity of 7.82% and a negative net margin of 2.85%.Centene’s revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Centene will post 6.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Centene

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CNC. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Centene by 133.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 35,227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,450,000 after acquiring an additional 20,155 shares in the last quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Centene by 120.1% in the 4th quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 22,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $914,000 after purchasing an additional 12,124 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Centene by 44.7% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 1,165 shares during the period. Fi3 FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC purchased a new position in Centene during the 4th quarter worth approximately $531,000. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in Centene during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,002,000. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Centene News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Centene guided to adjusted EPS of $3.00 for FY‑2026, above consensus, and said profit should be above Wall Street expectations — a sign management expects cost stabilization. Centene sees 2026 profit above estimates signaling stabilizing costs (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue beat estimates ($49.73B vs. ~$48.4B) and revenue rose ~22% YoY, driven by PDP and Marketplace growth — top‑line strength that supports future scale. Centene Q4 results and press release (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts/upgrades are framing the pullback as a buying opportunity after the stock’s earlier drop, which could attract tactical interest if costs improve. Centene Is On The Mend After A Hefty Fall (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released its earnings call transcript and slide deck — useful for investors parsing management’s details on Medicaid remediation and cost actions. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Local PR items (Health Net community events) are positive for brand/marketing but unlikely to move the stock materially. Health Net and Pro Football Hall of Fame event (PR Newswire)
• Negative Sentiment: Centene reported a Q4 GAAP/adjusted loss (about $1.19 EPS vs. a year‑ago profit), citing rising medical costs that drove a >$1B hit — a key driver of the selloff. Centene Reports $1 Billion Loss (Forbes)
• Negative Sentiment: Medicaid membership declined, and management gave a mixed revenue outlook — revenue guidance ($186.5B–$190.5B) came in below consensus, raising concerns about near‑term growth and margin recovery. Centene Takes A Hit As Medicaid Membership Shrinks (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and news outlets highlighted the mixed 2026 outlook and ongoing medical-cost pressure despite top‑line growth — the primary reason investors moved to sell. Centene Swings to Loss Despite Higher Revenue (WSJ)

About Centene

Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) is a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise that specializes in providing services to government-sponsored and national health programs. The company primarily acts as a managed care organization, delivering healthcare coverage and administering benefits for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare Advantage, and individual marketplace plans. Centene also contracts with federal and state agencies to manage specialty care programs and community-based services for vulnerable populations.

Centene’s offerings extend beyond traditional insurance to include a range of specialty and support services.