UPDATE: Jefferies & Company Reiterates Buy Rating, Raises PT on Centene Corp.

In a report published Wednesday, Jefferies & Company reiterated its Buy rating on Centene Corp.

, and raised its price target from $44.00 to $46.00. Jefferies noted, “CNC's direction from here hinges on the earnings power ex-KY, versus the costs to exit KY. We think earnings power outweighs; moreover, we will get a better picture of that first...at the December I-Day. The incremental negative for exiting KY could be up to $2.75, but is unlikely to be clarified until well into 2013. We are raising our 2013 EPS estimates 10% and price target $2 to $46.” Centene Corp. closed on Tuesday at $38.50.