Centene Corporation (CNC) Stock Price & Analysis
Centene Corporation (CNC) closed at USD 71.24 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, up 1.42% on the day. The US market is currently closed (pre-market); this is not a live price.
The prior close was USD 70.24; the Oct 22, 2026 session ranged USD 69.79–72.5 on volume of 4,696,091 shares. Market capitalization is $35.19B, with a 52-week range of USD 31.63–72.5 (NYQ). Source: Nexqual, retrieved October 23, 2026 at 09:23 UTC.
Also available as compact Markdown for AI agents: nexqual.com/CNC.md
Key facts (CNC)
- Last four reported quarters (through Jun 30, 2026): revenue $203B, net income -$5.10B (-2.5% margin), free cash flow $8.95B (SEC filings).
- 3 of 80 tracked superinvestors hold CNC (13F, Q2 2026): 0 new, 1 added, 2 reduced, 0 unchanged.
- Insider open-market sales, last ~7 months: 3 Form 4 filings, $12.1M; 3 not under a Rule 10b5-1 plan ($12.1M); 0 by opportunistic insiders, 0 by routine insiders (three-year test, Cohen, Malloy & Pomorski 2012).
- Total return with dividends: 1Y +107.3% vs S&P 500 +14.9%; 5Y +2.9% vs S&P 500 +80.3%.
- Next earnings: 2026-10-27, EPS estimate USD 0.1, revenue estimate $46.9B.
Financials (SEC 10-K; TTM = last four 10-Q/10-K quarters) (CNC)
| USD | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | TTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $126B | $145B | $154B | $163B | $195B | $203B |
| Gross profit | $14.5B | $16.9B | $17.6B | $17.1B | $14.2B | — |
| Operating income | $1.78B | $1.32B | $2.93B | $3.17B | -$7.62B | -$5.64B |
| Net income | $1.35B | $1.20B | $2.70B | $3.31B | -$6.67B | -$5.10B |
| EPS (diluted) | $2.28 | $2.07 | $4.95 | $6.31 | -$13.53 | — |
| Free cash flow | $3.29B | $5.26B | $7.25B | -$490M | $4.32B | $8.95B |
| Gross margin | 11.5% | 11.7% | 11.5% | 10.5% | 7.3% | — |
| Operating margin | 1.4% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | -3.9% | -2.8% |
| Net margin | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.8% | 2.0% | -3.4% | -2.5% |
| Revenue growth | +13.4% | +14.7% | +6.5% | +5.9% | +19.4% | — |
| Cash + short-term investments | $14.7B | $14.4B | $19.7B | $16.7B | $20.3B | — |
| Total debt | $19.0B | $18.2B | $18.0B | $18.6B | $17.5B | — |
Fiscal years end Dec. EPS is split-adjusted.
Valuation (price ÷ last four quarters, through Jun 30, 2026) (CNC)
P/S 0.2x · EV/Sales 0.1x · P/FCF 3.9x · P/B 1.6x · FCF yield 25.43% · Earnings yield -14.49% · Buyback yield (TTM) 0.10% · Net cash $11.0B · EV $24.2B
P/E at fiscal year-ends: Dec 2024 9.6x, Dec 2023 15.0x.
Superinvestors (SEC 13F-HR, Q2 2026) (CNC)
3 of 80 tracked investors hold CNC. Each row is the investor's latest 13F; change is vs their prior-quarter share count.
| Investor | Firm | % of portfolio | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Einhorn | Greenlight Capital | 2.71% | $106M | Reduced -39.6% |
| Bill Nygren | Oakmark Funds | 0.95% | $714M | Reduced -21.1% |
| Tweedy Browne | 0.12% | $1.6M | Added +32.5% |
Insider sales (SEC Form 4, open-market, last ~7 months) (CNC)
0 of 3 under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan (scheduled in advance). Unplanned sales were timed by the insider.
| Trade date | Insider | Role | Shares | Value | % of holdings sold | 10b5-1 plan | Insider type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-26 | Koster Christopher | Secretary & General Counsel | 56,500 | $3.8M | 18.5% | No | Too little history (no open-market trades in 2023–2025) |
| 2026-08-18 | Koster Christopher | Secretary & General Counsel | 47,603 | $3.1M | 13.5% | No | Too little history (no open-market trades in 2023–2025) |
| 2026-06-10 | Burdick Kenneth A | Director | 80,000 | $5.2M | 22% | No | Too little history (no open-market trades in 2023 or 2024) |
% of holdings sold = shares sold ÷ (shares sold + all holdings the insider reported on that Form 4, direct and through trusts).
Insider type follows Cohen, Malloy & Pomorski (Journal of Finance, 2012). An insider who traded the stock in the same calendar month in each of the past three years is a routine trader; one who traded in each of those years without such a pattern is an opportunistic trader. In their study, trades by opportunistic insiders predicted future returns and trades by routine insiders did not. Counts open-market purchases and sales only (SEC Form 4 codes P and S) by that insider in that company. Not investment advice.
Analysts (CNC)
Rating changes, last 120 days:
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Price target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-11 | Argus Research | Upgrade | Hold → Buy | $80 |
| 2026-08-04 | JP Morgan | Target raised | Neutral | $60 → $67 |
| 2026-08-03 | Bernstein | Target raised | Outperform | $68 → $79 |
| 2026-07-29 | Barclays | Target raised | Overweight | $75 → $80 |
| 2026-07-29 | Baird | Target raised | Neutral | $46 → $66 |
| 2026-07-14 | TD Cowen | Target raised | Hold | $47 → $65 |
| 2026-07-14 | Truist Securities | Target raised | Buy | $71 → $78 |
| 2026-07-13 | Wells Fargo | Target raised | Equal-Weight | $56 → $69 |
| 2026-07-09 | RBC Capital | Target raised | Sector Perform | $70 → $71 |
| 2026-07-07 | Cantor Fitzgerald | Target raised | Overweight | $60 → $75 |
Total return (dividends reinvested) (CNC)
| 1Y (from 2025-10-23) | 5Y (from 2021-10-18) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | +107.3% | +2.9% |
| S&P 500 (SPY) | +14.9% | +80.3% |
| Per year | +107.8% | +0.6% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 47.3% | 41.4% |
| Max drawdown | -32.7% (Jan 2026→Mar 2026) | -73.6% (Aug 2022→Aug 2025) |
CNC revenue by business segment (quarter ended Jun 30, 2026)
| Line | Revenue | Share of total | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other | $4.10B | 7.7% | +3.3% |
| Total revenue | $53.58B | 100% | — |
CNC revenue by product line (quarter ended Jun 30, 2026)
| Line | Revenue | Share of total | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Care Premium | $43.58B | 81.3% | +4.4% |
| Total Premium & Service | $22.77B | 42.5% | +4.8% |
| Service | $793.0M | 1.5% | +9.1% |
| Total revenue | $53.58B | 100% | — |
As tagged by the company in its SEC 10-Q / 10-K filings (XBRL).
CNC analyst estimates and revisions
| Period | EPS estimate | 90 days ago | Change | Revenue estimate | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current quarter (ends Sep 2026) | $0.10 | $0.05 | +85.8% | $46.95B | 19 |
| Next quarter (ends Dec 2026) | $-1.09 | $-0.98 | +11.7% | $45.43B | 19 |
| Current fiscal year (ends Dec 2026) | $4.88 | $3.52 | +38.7% | $195.92B | 21 |
| Next fiscal year (ends Dec 2027) | $5.35 | $4.48 | +19.5% | $192.75B | 21 |
Key Statistics (as of October 23, 2026 at 09:23 UTC)
| Price | USD 71.24 |
|---|---|
| Change | ▲ 1.42% (up) |
| Previous Close | USD 70.24 |
| Open | USD 70.2 |
| Day Range | USD 69.79 – 72.5 |
| 52-Week Range | USD 31.63 – 72.5 |
| Volume | 4,696,091 shares |
| Market Cap | $35.19B |
| Exchange | NYQ |
Technical Analysis (CNC)
Nexqual's technical model rates CNC "BUY" based on 5 bullish and 1 bearish signals across 127 daily candles, as of October 23, 2026 at 09:23 UTC.
| Overall Signal | BUY |
|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 63.65 (neutral) |
| vs SMA50 | Above (USD 65.73) |
| MACD | 1.64 (positive) |
Earnings (CNC)
| Next Earnings Date | 2026-10-27 |
|---|---|
| EPS Estimate | USD 0.1 |
| Revenue Estimate | $46.95B |
Recent Earnings History
| Quarter | Actual vs Estimate |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | USD 2.51 vs est 1.08 ▲ beat |
| 2026-03-31 | USD 3.37 vs est 2.13 ▲ beat |
| 2025-12-31 | USD -1.19 vs est -1.22 ▲ beat |
| 2025-09-30 | USD 0.5 vs est -0.16 ▲ beat |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:23 UTC.
Financials & Fundamentals (CNC)
| Total Revenue | $180.30B |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (latest quarter, YoY) | +4.60% |
| Gross Margin | +11.42% |
| Operating Margin | +3.76% |
| Profit Margin | -2.83% |
| ROE | -20.36% |
| Debt / Equity | 0.71 |
| Current Ratio | 1.15 |
| Total Cash | $27.06B |
| Total Debt | $16.10B |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:23 UTC.
Ownership (CNC)
| Insider Ownership | +0.39% |
|---|---|
| Institutional Ownership | +101.94% |
| Shares Outstanding | 494.00M |
| Float | 463.67M |
| Short % of Float | +2.44% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:23 UTC.
From Centene Corporation's Latest SEC 10-K Filing (filed 2026-02-17)
Key Strengths & Strategy (as disclosed to the SEC)
- We are the largest Medicaid health insurer in the country, serving 12.5 million Medicaid members in 30 states as of December 31, 2025.
- We are the largest Marketplace carrier, serving 5.5 million members across 29 states as of December 31, 2025, under the brand name Ambetter Health.
- Our approach is based on the following key competitive strengths:
- Our local approach to delivering healthcare enables us to meet members and providers in the communities where they are to facilitate member access to high-quality, culturally sensitive healthcare services.
Partnerships
- For example, we entered into a partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers to enhance value-based care adoption, further strengthening Community Health Centers' ability to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care and improve maternal child health outcomes.
- We believe value-based collaboration with providers leads to improved health outcomes, reduced costs and better member and provider experiences.
Legal & Regulatory Risks (Item 1A, quoted)
- The managed care industry in which we operate has been and may be negatively perceived by the public from time to time.
- Our business activities are highly regulated and new laws or regulations or changes in existing laws or regulations or their enforcement or application could force us to change how we operate and could harm our reputation and business.
- We are often required to maintain a minimum medical loss ratio (MLR) or share profits in excess of certain levels, which may be retroactive.
- Our ability to provide services and support to manage our members' pharmacy benefits face regulatory risks and uncertainties which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Source: SEC EDGAR 10-K, official filing. Curated by Nexqual.
Peers & Related Stocks
| Symbol | Name | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| HUM | Humana Inc. | USD 420.97 | ▼ 1.05% |
| CI | The Cigna Group | USD 315.88 | ▲ 3.78% |
| ELV | Elevance Health, Inc. | USD 445.28 | ▲ 2.57% |
| MOH | Molina Healthcare Inc | USD 216.64 | ▲ 0.81% |
| OSCR | Oscar Health, Inc. | USD 33.32 | ▼ 0.39% |
| CVS | CVS Health Corporation | USD 94.48 | ▲ 1.1% |
Data source: Nexqual — market data, technical indicators, analyst consensus, earnings, SEC EDGAR filings. Last updated: October 23, 2026 at 09:23 UTC. This page is informational and not investment advice.
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