Centene Corporation operates as a managed care company that provides programs and services to under-insured families, and commercial organizations in the United States. It operates through four segments: Medicaid, Medicare, Commercial, and Other.
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The Medicaid segment offers the temporary assistance for needy families; medicaid expansion; aged, blind, or disabled; and children's health insurance programs, as well as long-term services and supports; foster care; and medicare-medicaid plans.
This segment also provides healthcare products and services. The Medicare segment offers special needs and medicare supplement, and prescription drug plans. The Commercial segment provides health insurance marketplace product for individual and commercial group.
The Other segment operates clinical healthcare and pharmacies, as well as offers vision and dental, behavioral health, and centralized services. It provides services through primary and specialty care physicians, hospitals, behavioral health practitioners, and ancillary providers.
The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Quality Score breakdown
Overall quality59/100
It rates the business: profits, how they develop, real cash, balance sheet, investing and share count.
Profitability31
How much profit the company makes from its sales and capital
Quality Growth50
Are margins and returns getting better?
Cashflow43
Do the profits arrive as real cash?
Financial strength64
Debt, balance sheet and risk of trouble
Investment99
Does it invest with discipline instead of growing at any price?
Low Volatility40
How calm the share price moves, does not count
Price momentum75
Price momentum of the last 3 to 12 months, does not count
In the last 6 months, 2 officers or directors sold shares worth $12.1M and none bought.
SaleChristopher KosterSecretary & General Counsel2× since Aug 18, 2026: 104,103 shares, avg. $66.20$6.9MAug 26, 2026
SaleKenneth A BurdickDirector2× since Dec 3, 2025: 146,007 shares, avg. $53.01$7.7MJun 10, 2026
Plus 23 other filings such as grants, option exercises or tax withholding. They are not market purchases or sales.
Sales are often planned (taxes, diversification, 10b5-1 plans). Purchases with their own money are seen as the stronger sign. For information only: not part of the quality score or Fair Value.
Growth Quality ⓘGrowth is valuable only when reinvestment earns attractive returns (Aswath Damodaran): sustainable growth depends on return on capital, reinvestment and efficiency. Basis: total company revenue over the periods shown on the cards (3Y/5Y/all years), not per share, so a merger can show up as a growth jump; per-share earnings growth is in the value-creation card.71/100
Revenue is growing, but margins or cash flow do not fully confirm the trend.
Revenue growth 1 year
+19.4%
Revenue growth 3 years ⓘMeasures the company's TOTAL revenue from reported annual statements: compound average growth per year (CAGR) from the fiscal year 3, 5 or N years back to the most recent comparable fiscal year. Not per share: buybacks do not change this number, and a merger can appear as a growth jump. Per-share growth (which does include buybacks) is in the value-creation card.
+10.5%
Revenue growth 5 years ⓘMeasures the company's TOTAL revenue from reported annual statements: compound average growth per year (CAGR) from the fiscal year 3, 5 or N years back to the most recent comparable fiscal year. Not per share: buybacks do not change this number, and a merger can appear as a growth jump. Per-share growth (which does include buybacks) is in the value-creation card.
+11.9%
Start year 2020 (pandemic). Over 10 years: +23.9% a year
Revenue growth 26 years ⓘMeasures the company's TOTAL revenue from reported annual statements: compound average growth per year (CAGR) from the fiscal year 3, 5 or N years back to the most recent comparable fiscal year. Not per share: buybacks do not change this number, and a merger can appear as a growth jump. Per-share growth (which does include buybacks) is in the value-creation card.
+30.3%
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Profit margin (trend) ⓘOperating margin then vs now, from reported annual statements. A falling margin after a boom year is the classic peak-earnings signal: the growth rate then leans on an inflated base.
2.8% (2020) → −3.9% (2025)
What shareholders gained per year ⓘWe only publish this rate when it is defensible. Reason: fiscal 2025 is a loss year, no rate is defined from a loss
not computed
Growth Forecast
Little optimism in the price
The price assumes less growth than the company has delivered so far and less than analysts expect.
What the price assumes ⓘThis turns our valuation around: instead of asking what the share is worth, it asks what growth the current price requires. It uses the cash the company keeps after all spending (free cash flow), the same discount rate as our models, five years of growth, then slowing evenly to 2 % a year by year ten. Compared with the analysts' sales forecasts extended to the same five years (at least three analysts, for context only, it does not enter the Fair Value): within 3 percentage points counts as "in line" (amber), below that little optimism (green), above that a lot of optimism (red).
−7.6%
The company could shrink this much every year for the next five years and today's price would still be justified.
What forecasts expect ⓘAnalysts publish sales forecasts for the next two fiscal years. For the years after that, growth slows evenly to 2 % a year by year ten (2 % is the long-run rate our models use). Projected years are marked as such.
−0.8%
Yearly sales growth analysts expect, extended to five years.
After inflation (USA: IMF forecast 2.4% a year to 2030, 3.1% from 2016 to 2025) that is about −9.8% a year for the price and −3.1% for the forecasts.
News mood ⓘNews mood, the average tone of recent news (100 articles), rated against how stocks are usually covered. 🚀 Hype = unusually upbeat · 🙂 Positive = above average · 😐 Neutral = typical · 🙁 Negative = below average · 😨 Very negative = unusually downbeat. It reflects the tone of coverage, not our valuation.Positive
Recent news coverage is more positive than average.
Price, fair value, quality and upside side by side.
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Peer GroupⓘHow this stock ranks against its sector: the green marker is this stock, the band is the typical 25–75% peer range, and the tick is the median. (Industry “Healthcare Plans” was too small, so the broader sector is used.)Health Care · 2277 stocks
Beats the sector median on 7/13 measures
A mixed picture versus its sector peers.
Valuation
Quality Score59 · Above median
Profitability
Return on equity (12 months)6.7% · Above median
Return on assets−8.6% · Bottom 25%
Net margin (12 months)0.8% · Below median
Operating margin (12 months)0.7% · Below median
Growth and dividend
Revenue growth (quarter YoY)0.2% · Below median
Balance sheet
Debt / equity0.87× · Highest 25%
Valuation Multiplesvs Health Care median · lower = cheaper
Centene Corp has a Quality Score of 59/100. It measures business quality (profitability, growth, cash flow, balance-sheet strength, investment discipline, share issuance). Market factors such as price momentum and volatility do not enter the number; they are shown separately in the detail view.
What is the revenue of Centene Corp (CNC)?
Centene Corp reported trailing-twelve-month revenue of about $180B (latest available figure, as of Nov 5, 2026).
What growth is priced into Centene Corp (CNC)?
For today's price to be fair in a discounted-cash-flow model, Centene Corp would have to grow free cash flow by -7.6 % per year for five years (discount rate 9.5 %, then slowing evenly to 2 % perpetual growth by year ten). Over the last 5 years revenue grew +11.9 % per year. As of Nov 5, 2026.
How much growth has Centene Corp (CNC) delivered so far?
Over the past 5 years revenue at Centene Corp grew +11.9 % a year. The price currently implies free-cash-flow growth of -7.6 % per year. Comparing the two shows how much confidence is in the price: if it demands more than has been delivered, the business has to accelerate for the maths to work.
How fast is the sector of Centene Corp (CNC) growing?
The median revenue growth in the sector is +6.2 % a year. That is the yardstick for the growth priced into Centene Corp (-7.6 % per year): it shows whether the expectation is within the usual range or beyond it.
What is the free cash flow yield of Centene Corp (CNC)?
The free-cash-flow yield on the price is 12.45 %: that much free cash flow Centene Corp produces per unit of market value. When it exceeds the discount rate of our models (9.5 %), the business already earns more than its cost of capital demands, and the price needs little additional growth.
What is the PEG ratio of CNC?
The PEG ratio of Centene Corp is 0.83 (P/E divided by earnings growth, as of Nov 5, 2026). That is below 1, so growth is priced more cheaply than the earnings multiple alone suggests.
How solid is the balance sheet of Centene Corp (CNC)?
Balance-sheet figures for Centene Corp (as of Nov 5, 2026): return on equity 6.7%, debt of 0.87 per unit of equity. They feed the Quality Score of 59/100, which measures business quality independently of the share price.
Which stocks are comparable to Centene Corp?
From the same area (Healthcare) we also value UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health Corporation, Elevance Health, Inc, The Cigna Group, among others. Each of them has its own fair-value calculation on this site using the same models, so the comparison is like for like.
What is the share price of Centene Corp (CNC)?
The closing price on Nov 6, 2026 was $69.74. We carry closing prices from our data provider, not a live tick.
Where does the earnings growth of Centene Corp (CNC) come from?
Earnings per share at Centene Corp grew +17.2 % a year from 2014 to 2025. Broken into its drivers: revenue per share +13.9 %, EBIT margin −5.2 %, tax rate +4.8 %, residual (interest, one-offs) +3.6 %. The four rates multiply to the earnings growth rate, they do not add up. Start and end are three-year averages so a single exceptional year does not distort the result.
Key figures of Centene Corp
How large is the market capitalisation of Centene Corp (CNC)?
The market capitalisation of Centene Corp is $34.7B. The stock-market value of the whole company: share price times number of shares. It is what the market asks for the entire business today.
What is the P/S ratio of Centene Corp (CNC)?
The price-to-sales ratio of Centene Corp is 0.19 (last twelve months). Price to sales: market value relative to yearly revenue. Useful when profit is thin or distorted.
What are the earnings per share of Centene Corp (CNC)?
Earnings per share at Centene Corp are $2.91 (price ÷ EPS = P/E 24.0). Earnings per share over the last twelve months: total profit spread across every single share.
What is the net margin of Centene Corp (CNC)?
The net margin of Centene Corp is 0.8% (last twelve months). How much of every unit of revenue ends up as profit. 10% means 10 cents of profit per dollar of sales.
What is the return on equity of Centene Corp (CNC)?
The return on equity (ROE) of Centene Corp is 6.7% (last twelve months). Profit relative to shareholders' equity, how efficiently the company works with its owners' money.
What is the EBIT return on assets of Centene Corp (CNC)?
On an EBIT basis the return on assets of Centene Corp is 0.3% (avg 5y). Operating profit (EBIT) relative to everything the company owns, as a multi-year average. It describes the business model rather than one good or bad year.
What is the operating margin of Centene Corp (CNC)?
The operating margin of Centene Corp is 0.7% (last twelve months). Profit from the core business (before interest and taxes) relative to revenue.
How fast is revenue growing at Centene Corp (CNC)?
Revenue at Centene Corp is growing +0.2% versus a year earlier (3y avg +10.5%). How much revenue grew versus a year earlier (YoY). The 3-year average next to it puts the single year in context.
How fast are earnings growing at Centene Corp (CNC)?
Earnings per share at Centene Corp are growing +18.3% versus a year earlier. How much earnings per share grew versus a year earlier.
How much net debt does Centene Corp (CNC) carry?
The net debt of Centene Corp is $889M (fiscal year 2025, ≈ 0.2 yrs of FCF). Debt minus cash on hand. The note shows how many years of free cash flow could in theory pay it off.
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Thin data
Nov 5, 2026