Brokers Issue Forecasts for Centene’s Q3 Earnings (NYSE:CNC)

Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Centene in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, June 10th. Zacks Research analyst K. Dey now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $1.53 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.54. The consensus estimate for Centene’s current full-year earnings is $6.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Centene’s Q2 2026 earnings at $2.13 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $1.61 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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $46.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.16 billion. Centene had a net margin of 2.03% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.26 earnings per share.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Centene in a research report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Centene from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $65.00 price target (down previously from $84.00) on shares of Centene in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Centene in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Centene from $76.00 to $72.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Centene presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.71.

Centene Stock Up 0.2%

Centene stock opened at $55.39 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.45. Centene has a 1-year low of $54.01 and a 1-year high of $80.59. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $59.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Centene

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Centene in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,536,167,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Centene by 42.7% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,049,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $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 worth $146,557,000. Boston Partners boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 2,373,280 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in Centene by 1,788.1% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,245,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,033,000 after buying 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.