CNC
Centene Corporation
$66.24
▲ 3.2%Updated Aug 7, 11:30 AM ET
CNC at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
Overall: Neutral · 43/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
▲ Up 10.6% over the last 12 months
Market Cap
$33.51B
P/E
—
Forward P/E (est.)
—
ROE
-28.7%
Revenue Growth
17.0%
EPS Growth
—
Profit Margin
-3.3%
FCF Yield
11.3%
Debt / Equity
0.87x
ROIC
-15.0%
Interest Coverage
—
Current Ratio
1.12x
Dividend Yield
—
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
-3.5%
Rating Score
43/100
Centene Corporation (CNC) is a large-cap company in the Managed Health Care industry, part of the Health Care sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $33.51B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $174.58B in revenue and posted a net loss of $6.67B.
Our model rates CNC Neutral (43/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).
Some durable-advantage evidence, but not across the board — dig into which ingredient is weak and whether it's cyclical or structural.
10.8% average over the last 3 years
±1.7 pts around 11.4% across 5 years
grew in 9 of the last 9 year-over-year periods
positive in 9 of 10 years
-15.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what CNC's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. CNC trades near $66.24, above its 50-day average ($58.62) and 200-day average ($43.58). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 61 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. CNC's is $2.35 (~3.5% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. Over the last month CNC found buyers near $59.90 (support) and sellers near $69.29 (resistance); its 52-week range is $25.08–$69.29. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 0.7× the 20-day average — lighter than usual, so the move carries less conviction. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.
4Y CAGR
10.3%
Revenue moved from $37.58B in 2016 to $174.58B in 2025, a 18.6% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a strong 17.0% year over year. Consistent top-line growth is one sign of healthy demand.
Gross Margin
8.1%
Operating Margin
-4.4%
Net Margin
-3.8%
ROE
-28.7%
Centene Corporation keeps about -3.3% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 8.1% gross margin and -4.4% operating margin. Return on equity is -28.7% and return on invested capital about -15.0%. The company is currently unprofitable on a net basis.
Total Debt
$17.49B
Net Debt
-$3.77B
Net cash position
Net Debt / EBITDA
—
Debt / Equity
0.87x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 0.9x, with a current ratio of 1.1x. That is a moderate, manageable debt load for most businesses. It carries roughly $17.49B of total debt against $21.26B of cash.
Operating CF
$5.09B
Free Cash Flow
$4.32B
FCF Margin
2.5%
In the latest year Centene Corporation produced about $5.09B of operating cash flow and $4.32B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 11.3% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.
P/E
—
P/S
0.15x
P/B
1.09x
EV / EBITDA
—
CNC trades at n/a trailing earnings, 0.2x sales, and 1.1x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly -3.5% long-term free-cash-flow growth. With no positive trailing earnings, value it on sales, cash flow, or growth rather than P/E.
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
DCF fair value / share
$308.85
Current price
$66.24
Starting FCF (latest 10-K)
$4.32B
Growth, years 1–5
17.0%
Fade to terminal, years 6–10
2.5%
Discount rate
9.0%
Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.
Where CNC sits versus its Health Care sector peers in the S&P 500.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 83 Health Care companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
How CNC stacks up against its Health Care peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
In the Health Care sector (324 S&P 500 companies), CNC ranks #60 of 324 by our overall rating.
P/E vs sector
—
median 27.3x
ROE vs sector
-28.7%
median 14.1%
Growth vs sector
17.0%
median 7.6%
Sector rank
#60
of 324 by rating
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Health Care companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 324 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
2030 price target (Base Case)
$0.00 – $0.00
vs. $66.24 today · expected CAGR 33% – 47%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $204.26B | $238.98B | $279.61B | $327.15B | $382.76B |
| Net income | $6.13B | $7.17B | $8.39B | $9.81B | $11.48B |
| EPS | $12.11 | $14.17 | $16.58 | $19.40 | $22.70 |
| Share price (low) | $145.36 | $170.07 | $198.98 | $232.81 | $272.39 |
| Share price (high) | $242.27 | $283.45 | $331.64 | $388.02 | $453.98 |
| CAGR (low–high) | 119% / 266% | 60% / 107% | 44% / 71% | 37% / 56% | 33% / 47% |
Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.
The case for CNC:
- Revenue is growing 17.0% a year, a sign of real demand.
- Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~11.3%) funds buybacks and dividends.
The case against CNC:
- Thin net margins (-3.3%) leave little room for error.
- Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Margin risk — thin profitability (-3.3%) is vulnerable to cost or pricing pressure.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
On balance, the picture is mixed: Centene Corporation is a large-cap health care business still growing nicely, with modest profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at n/a earnings, which our model scores Neutral (43/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 27 Wall Street analysts covering CNC recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Latest SEC Filings
CNC's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.
CNC — frequently asked questions
Is CNC a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Centene Corporation Neutral (43/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.
What is CNC's rating on The Stocks School?
Centene Corporation currently scores 43/100 (Neutral) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.
How our ratings work →Where does CNC's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Centene Corporation's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for CNC calculated?
It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this CNC analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell CNC. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.