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Stocks/Health Care/Managed Health Care

CenteneCNC

Managed Health Care · St. Louis, Missouri · In the S&P 500
Cheaper than peers
$68.45−0.25%After hours: $68.89 (+0.64%)At the close, 30 Oct · Prices from CNBC, may be delayed
▲ 83.3% over 1 year
Centene over 1 yearDaily close, $, to 30 Oct 2026
$40$60Nov2026MarMayJulSep$68.45$40$60NovMarJul$68.45
Source: Nasdaq daily closes
Market value$33.89B
Price to earnings23.5x
Forward P/E14.0x
Dividend yield–
Year to date+66.3%
One year+83.3%
Next earningsNot scheduled
SectorHealth Care
52-week range (closes)
$31.80$71.24

Quality and valuation

How Centene compares with other health care stocks. A description, not a recommendation.

Centene and 5 managed health care peers. Across: valuation (P/E) against the sector. Up: business quality against the sector. Hover or tap a logo for its numbers.

Business quality: weaker than mostValuation: cheaper than most

A weaker business than most health care companies, priced below most of them.

Centene trades at 14.0 times the next 12 months of expected earnings, against a median of 19.1x for the 65 health care stocks we cover. The quality score blends where it ranks on revenue growth, gross margin, operating margin and free-cash-flow margin (net margin for banks and insurers) over the last 12 months, from SEC filings.

  • Revenue grew faster than the sector median: +9.7% vs +7.8%
  • Keeps less of each sale (gross margin): 7.9% vs 65.3%
  • Less profitable (operating margin): 0.5% vs 13.3%
  • Turns less of its sales into cash: 1.9% vs 15.9%
CNC trades at 14.0x forward earnings, below the sector medianForward p/e, Managed Health Care peers
CNC14.0xNVS17.0xAZN17.5xMRK18.1xUNH18.9xABBV19.6xJNJ25.1xLLY36.3xSector median 19.1xCNC14.0xNVS17.0xAZN17.5xMRK18.1xUNH18.9xABBV19.6xJNJ25.1xLLY36.3xSector median 19.1x
Source: CNBC quotes; Mostly Markets

Financials

From Centene's SEC filings, through the quarter ending 30 Sep 2026. Hover or tap a bar for its value.

Revenue grew 1.9% from a year earlierQuarterly revenue, $bn, latest Q3 ’26
$0bn$20bn$40bnQ4 ’24Q2 ’25Q4 ’25$50.6bnQ3 ’26$0bn$20bn$40bnQ4 ’24Q2 ’25Q4 ’25$50.6bnQ3 ’26
Source: SEC filings
Growth slowed to +1.9% last quarterRevenue growth, year on year, %
0%10%20%Q4 ’24Q2 ’25Q4 ’251.9%Q3 ’260%10%20%Q4 ’24Q2 ’25Q4 ’251.9%Q3 ’26
Source: SEC filings
Operating margin was -0.6% last quarterOperating income as a share of revenue, %
−10%−5%0%Q4 ’24Q2 ’25Q4 ’25−0.6%Q3 ’26−10%0%Q4 ’24Q2 ’25Q4 ’25−0.6%Q3 ’26
Source: SEC filings
Free cash flow was $3.9 billion over 12 monthsQuarterly free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex), $bn
$-2bn$0bn$2bnQ4 ’24Q2 ’25Q4 ’25−$3.9bnQ3 ’26$0bnQ4 ’24Q2 ’25Q4 ’25−$3.9bnQ3 ’26
Source: SEC filings
Last 12 monthsCNCSector median
Revenue growth+9.7%+7.8%
Gross margin7.9%65.3%
Operating margin0.5%13.3%
Free cash flow margin1.9%15.9%
Price to earnings23.5x30.2x

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Similar companies

Managed Health Care, by market value.

CompanyPriceTodayYTDValue
LLYEli Lilly$1,417.54+3.19%+31.9%$1.33T
JNJJohnson & Johnson$273.20−0.73%+32.0%$658B
ABBVAbbVie$294.89+1.41%+29.1%$521B
MRKMerck$149.52+2.18%+42.0%$369B
UNHUnitedHealth$406.97−0.96%+23.3%$365B
NVSNovartis$160.79−0.19%+16.6%$327B
AZNAstraZeneca$186.65+7.02%+6.4%$290B
TMOThermo Fisher Scientific$697.00−1.72%+20.3%$258B