Venturi Wealth Management LLC Purchases 507 Shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC) by 77.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,163 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Centene were worth $88,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Centene by 8.4% in the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 42,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,212,000 after buying an additional 3,298 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Centene by 97.9% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 14,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,064,000 after acquiring an additional 6,989 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Centene by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 376,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,372,000 after purchasing an additional 53,722 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Centene during the third quarter worth $211,000. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Centene by 4.6% in the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 64,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,879,000 after buying an additional 2,875 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Centene

In other news, CEO Sarah London bought 4,117 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $60.80 per share, for a total transaction of $250,313.60. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 667,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,567,523.20. This trade represents a 0.62 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew Lynn Asher purchased 17,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were acquired 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,305,284.58. The trade was a 3.66 % 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on CNC shares. StockNews.com cut Centene from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Centene from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Centene from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $83.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays reduced their target price on Centene from $97.00 to $91.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Centene in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $83.92.

Centene Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:CNC opened at $58.69 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.63 billion, a PE ratio of 10.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $68.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Centene Co. has a one year low of $57.56 and a one year high of $81.42.

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.