CNC · Centene Corp
Price & Indicators
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Metrics snapshot
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AI Brief
Q2 FY26 earnings call · Jul 28, 2026TL;DR. Centene reported Q2 2026 adjusted diluted EPS of $2.51 and raised its full-year 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance to greater than $4.80, driven by stronger Marketplace and PDP margins and improved Medicaid rate development, though results included about $0.50 of non-recurring items.
- + Raised full-year 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance to greater than $4.80
- + Raised full-year 2026 Marketplace pre-tax margin guidance to 4.5%–5%
- + Raised full-year 2026 PDP pre-tax margin guidance to greater than 3%
- + Improved full-year 2026 Medicaid rate outlook to roughly 5% from roughly 4.5%
- + Adjusted SG&A expense ratio improved to 6.9% from 7.1% year-over-year
- + Repurchased $260 million of senior notes; debt-to-cap fell to 41.6% from 46.5%
- − Q2 adjusted EPS included about $0.50 of non-recurring items tied to 2025 settlements
- − Faces ongoing OB-3 Medicaid policy risk including work requirements and state funding pressure
- − Medicare Advantage faces STARS headwinds from cut point increases and methodology changes
AI-generated from the earnings call and 8-K · may contain errors · not investment advice
Equibles Rating
blended score · not investment adviceBlended from price, momentum, positioning, fundamentals & volatility · daily-close · not investment advice. Market backdrop is context, not part of the score.
Guidance & track record
Guidance from company 8-Ks · delivered figures from as-reported statements · no analyst estimates involved.
Technicals
trend & momentum for long-term holders NeutralIllustrative technical + ownership context — a signal mix, not investment advice.
Key metrics
the company's own KPIs, from written earnings releases and filings| Metric | Latest | Period | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted diluted EPS non-GAAP | $2.51 | second quarter of 2026 filing | — |
| Adjusted SG&A expense ratio non-GAAP | 6.9% | second quarter of 2026 filing | — |
| Cost of service ratio | 91.9% | the three months ended June 30, 2026 filing | — |
| Effective tax rate on adjusted earnings non-GAAP | 26.5% | the second quarter of 2026 filing | — |
| HBR | 89.6% | the three months ended June 30, 2026 filing | — |
| Managed care membership | 25.9M | second quarter of 2026 filing | — |
| Operating cash flows | 3.6B | second quarter of 2026 filing | — |
Figures exactly as the company stated them in writing · click a metric with a to chart its history · period links open the stating document · "filing" marks figures stated in the 10-K/10-Q · YoY needs an exactly comparable prior-year period
Versus peers
Healthcare Plans — same industry group| Company | Mkt cap | YTD | Rev growth Y/Y | P/E | Short % shares |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CNC
this stock
Centene Corp
|
$30.16B | +48.2% | +19.4% | — | 2.9% |
|
UNH
Unitedhealth Group Inc
|
$338.03B | +10.6% | +11.8% | — | 1.5% |
|
CVS
CVS HEALTH Corp
|
$110.82B | +7.4% | +7.8% | 22.9 | 1.3% |
|
ELV
Elevance Health, Inc.
|
$85.90B | +8.9% | +12.5% | 17.5 | 2.5% |
|
CI
Cigna Group
|
$71.06B | -2.6% | +11.2% | 11.1 | 2.5% |
Peers by industry group · P/E from as-reported trailing EPS · short % is of shares outstanding
At a glance
key data from every sectionPerformance
| 5D | 20D | 120D | MTD | YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC | -1.5% | -9.4% | +63.5% | -1.8% | +48.2% |
| SPY | -0.4% | -0.2% | +12.4% | +0.2% | +12.0% |
| vs SPY | -1.1% | -9.3% | +51.1% | -2.0% | +36.2% |
Capital returns
Dividends per share over the trailing 365 days by ex-date · buyback figures as last reported in SEC filings ("spent" derived as authorized − remaining; when several programs run concurrently, authorized is their combined total per the newest filing) · components shown separately — trailing-year buyback spend isn't tracked, so no combined shareholder yield is derived.