Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Cuts Holdings in Centene Corporation $CNC

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its stake in Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,245,690 shares of the company’s stock after selling 257,464 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.86% of Centene worth $151,473,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cresset Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Centene by 0.7% in the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 779,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,797,000 after acquiring an additional 5,103 shares in the last quarter. South Dakota Investment Council grew its holdings in Centene by 46.5% during the 3rd quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 536,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,137,000 after acquiring an additional 170,346 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Centene by 215.3% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 72,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,520,000 after purchasing an additional 49,670 shares during the last quarter. Kennondale Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Centene by 500.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kennondale Capital Management LLC now owns 48,978 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,748,000 after purchasing an additional 40,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd lifted its position in shares of Centene by 34.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 26,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $940,000 after purchasing an additional 6,810 shares during the last quarter. 93.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Centene News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Centene’s Texas unit, Superior HealthPlan, added a Foster Care Center of Excellence in the Rio Grande Valley—a local operational win that supports member engagement in a core managed‑care market. Superior HealthPlan Names Cute Pediatrics
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its 2026 outlook and completed debt note redemptions, which reduces refinancing risk and signals confidence in the company’s capital plan. That helps offset some headline pressure. Centene Reaffirms 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Some research services still highlight Centene as a momentum-ranked name, which could attract tactical buyers if sentiment stabilizes. Centene is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Centene presented at the Barclays Healthcare Conference; the transcript provides management commentary investors can parse for member trends and margin outlook. Barclays Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus remains cautious with a general “Hold” stance, limiting immediate upward pressure from upgrades. Consensus “Hold” Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes Centene has underperformed the Nasdaq recently, signaling relative weakness versus the market but not new company‑specific news. Is Centene Underperforming the Nasdaq?
• Negative Sentiment: Company executives warned of a steeper-than-expected drop in Obamacare memberships, a direct negative for revenue and margin assumptions in segments tied to ACA enrollment. That disclosure is the primary driver of the selloff. Centene Shares Fall on ACA Membership Drop
• Negative Sentiment: Broader reporting shows Obamacare enrollment is plunging as costs rise, a sector headwind hitting Centene and peers and pressuring revenue forecasts. Obamacare Enrollment Plunging
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and headlines note CNC’s large share decline over the past year and continued downside pressure today, reinforcing negative sentiment among investors. Why Is Centene Stock Falling?
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually heavy put‑option volume indicates traders are positioning for further downside in CNC, amplifying intraday selling pressure. (Options flow data)

Analyst Ratings Changes

CNC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Centene from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 15th. Argus raised Centene to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Centene from $32.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Centene from $43.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $44.00 price target on Centene and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Centene presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.06.

Centene Stock Performance

NYSE CNC opened at $36.35 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $43.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.33. The company has a market capitalization of $17.88 billion, a PE ratio of -2.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.48. Centene Corporation has a 1 year low of $25.08 and a 1 year high of $66.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last posted 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 business 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 4.25% and a negative net margin of 3.43%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. Centene has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.000 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Centene Corporation will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Centene Company Profile

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.