B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Purchases Shares of 34,085 Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 34,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,566,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vantage Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Centene by 17.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vantage Investment Partners LLC now owns 683,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,478,000 after buying an additional 99,904 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Centene by 35.8% in the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 28,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,857,000 after purchasing an additional 7,385 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in Centene by 189.6% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 24,162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 15,819 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank lifted its holdings in Centene by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 118,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,307,000 after buying an additional 8,103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of Centene by 15.4% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,435,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,063,000 after acquiring an additional 191,768 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Centene

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

Centene Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:CNC opened at $60.30 on Friday. Centene Co. has a fifty-two week low of $57.20 and a fifty-two week high of $81.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $30.44 billion, a PE ratio of 10.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $66.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.60.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on CNC shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $90.00 price target on shares of Centene in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Centene from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Centene from $97.00 to $91.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of Centene from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Centene from $83.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $83.92.

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.