BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Sells 170,867 Shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. decreased its holdings in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,158,965 shares of the company’s stock after selling 170,867 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned approximately 0.23% of Centene worth $87,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of CNC. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new position in shares of Centene in the third quarter worth approximately $227,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Centene by 3.8% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 73,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,512,000 after buying an additional 2,656 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Centene during the third quarter valued at $2,566,000. SouthState Corp lifted its stake in shares of Centene by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 41,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,107,000 after purchasing an additional 1,102 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Centene by 10.2% during the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 74,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,642,000 after purchasing an additional 6,937 shares during the period. 93.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on CNC shares. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Centene from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on shares of Centene from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of Centene in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Centene in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Centene from $83.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $83.92.

Insider Activity

In other Centene news, CFO Andrew Lynn Asher acquired 17,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $58.14 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,008.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 486,847 shares in the company, valued at $28,305,284.58. The trade was a 3.66 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Sarah London purchased 4,117 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $60.80 per share, for a total transaction of $250,313.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 667,229 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,567,523.20. This trade represents a 0.62 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Centene Price Performance

CNC stock opened at $59.10 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $67.27 and a 200-day moving average of $70.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.49. Centene Co. has a 12 month low of $57.20 and a 12 month high of $81.42.

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.