Zacks Research Has Bearish Forecast for Centene Q4 Earnings

Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) – Zacks Research reduced their Q4 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Centene in a research note issued on Thursday, May 15th. Zacks Research analyst K. Dey now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $0.83 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.96. The consensus estimate for Centene’s current full-year earnings is $6.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Centene’s FY2027 earnings at $8.46 EPS.

Centene (NYSE:CNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $2.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $46.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.16 billion. Centene had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The company’s revenue was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.26 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on CNC. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Centene from $76.00 to $72.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com downgraded Centene from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays cut their price target on Centene from $93.00 to $84.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Centene in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Centene from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.77.

Centene Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of CNC opened at $61.78 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.90, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.48. Centene has a twelve month low of $55.03 and a twelve month high of $80.59. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $60.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.44.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Centene

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CNC. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Centene in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,536,167,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Centene by 42.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,049,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $669,820,000 after purchasing an additional 3,306,796 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Centene in the first quarter valued at approximately $146,557,000. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Centene by 155.3% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,901,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,802,000 after acquiring an additional 2,373,280 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in shares of Centene by 1,788.1% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,245,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,033,000 after acquiring an additional 2,126,582 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

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.