Centene Corporation (CNC)
NYSEHealth CareMedical - Healthcare PlansSnapshot 2026-10-29
$68.45-0.25%
Close 2026-10-30 · 1-day change
NYSEHealth CareMedical - Healthcare PlansSnapshot 2026-10-29
Research Workspace
Put CNC beside peers and holdings, graph the same metric, and keep your notes with the evidence.
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Industries move in repeating boom-and-bust cycles. This shows where this stock’s industry sits in that cycle, stage by stage (recovery → expansion → supercycle → steady → deceleration → contraction), from its fundamentals (orders, revenue, capital spending), not the stock’s price.
A booming industry is a tailwind for the names in it; a contracting one is a headwind. Companies in the same industry tend to rise and fall together with the cycle, the way a tide lifts and lowers every boat in the harbor at once, so a large part of a stock’s swing can come from where its industry sits rather than from the company itself. It’s context for reading the company’s results, not a buy/sell call. Full explanation →
Health Care is in steady. Describes the industry's cycle state, not a call on this stock.
The stage band shows the industry’s cycle over the chart’s timeline (each color a stage); a ▼ marks a quarter its growth inflected down — amber is an unconfirmed watch, red is confirmed the next quarter. Use “Overlay cycle on chart” to tint the price chart by stage. The industry’s fundamentals, not a signal on this stock.
The reason to own it still holds.
View ThesisRevenue growth is slowing — up about 10% over the past year and decelerating.
View GrowthMiddle-of-the-pack quality for its industry.
View QualityMiddle-of-the-pack management execution.
View ManagementExpectations look reasonable — what the market is pricing in sits in line with or below what analysts forecast.
View ValuationThis stock is volatile — it swings about 1% on a typical day and fell roughly 33% in its worst 12-month stretch.
View RiskCentene’s earnings recovery depends on cost control offsetting a shrinking at-risk membership base. Recent results were strong, though revenue growth eased from 5% in Q1 to 4% in Q2. Q3 adjusted EPS beat consensus, and Centene raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance above $5.20. CNC trades at 13× P/E versus a 22.5× peer median, and expectations look modest versus our view. The risk is fragile cash backing, alongside at-risk membership declining to 25.7 million from over 27.9 million. Our model puts the next-quarter miss probability near 9%. Peer multiples imply a price about 17% above where it trades; our read remains intact. This read is provisional.
Trailing returns as of 2026-10-30. CNC is total return (includes dividends); the S&P 500 benchmark is price return (the index excludes dividends).
Based on 21 analysts currently covering CNC (as of Oct 2026).
Based on 12 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for CNC in the last 4 months.
Continue this research
Compare CNC with peers and holdings, graph the same reported metric, keep your questions beside the evidence, and return when the facts change.
Compare now without an account. Saving and monitoring require an account.
| Compare | Company | Living FV | P/E | Revenue % | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC Selected company | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Peer Add a competitor | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Holding Compare a holding | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review |
Selected metric trend
Quarterly · checked companies · value or % of revenue
A consensus fair price across 11 valuation methods, at three horizons. As of 2026-10-30. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
Today's peer multiple on trailing earnings, with no growth credited. This is the headline read.
Adds projected growth, so it leans optimistic by design. Read it as upside context, not a base case.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Managed Health Care — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Compare the value case
Put CNC next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Advances: Increase 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance to > $4.80
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-10-30. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Current $68.45
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $68.45.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
A long-thesis check that carries the widest uncertainty of the three horizons.
Above average on quality vs scored peers
Direction of the business behind the multiple. Bands are backend reads; trailing-12-month basis.
Reported EPS outlook exceeds the >$4.80 objective, with Medicare turnaround reaching breakeven ahead of schedule.
Reported Q3 beat and lifted outlook support the tracked 2026 growth and EPS objectives.
Advances: Increase 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance to > $4.80
Higher 2026 guidance tied to Medicare cost controls supports the EPS recovery objective.
Advances: Increase 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance to > $4.80
Profit forecast lift from cost control benefits supports the 2026 EPS objective.
Advances: Increase 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance to > $4.80
CEO says recovery is on track despite a small loss, supporting EPS progress.
Advances: Increase 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance to > $4.80
Q3 beat and raised outlook support the 2026 earnings recovery objective.
Advances: Increase 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance to > $4.80
Earnings and revenue beats offer incremental support, without confirming the 2026 targets.
Concerns about 2027 performance may impact 2026 guidance.
