Centene Corporation (CNC)Healthcare | Healthcare Plans | Saint Louis, United States | NYSE
64.75 USD
-0.58
(-0.888%) ⇩
(Aug. 28, 2026, 4:01 p.m.
EDT)
After hours: 64.94 +0.19 (0.293%) ⇧ (Aug. 28, 2026, 7:56 p.m. EDT) |
Hot Take ↕ | Aug. 22, 2026, 4:47 a.m. EDT
The investment case for Centene is currently broken by a severe deterioration in profitability. Despite reporting a revenue beat and margin recovery in the latest quarter, the company posted a massive loss per share, dragging the trailing P/E into negative territory and crushing the return on equity. This disconnect between top-line growth and bottom-line destruction is a classic value trap; the market is correctly pricing in that the business is failing to generate capital efficiently. The lack of any dividend history further confirms the company is not returning cash to shareholders. While the forward P/E looks cheap, it relies entirely on the assumption that earnings will turn positive soon, which is a risky bet given the recent history of losses. The options market agrees with this pessimism, with traders loading up on deep out-of-the-money puts to protect against further declines. Until the company demonstrates a sustained path to profitability and stabilizes its balance sheet, the risk-reward profile remains skewed heavily toward the downside. |
| Model | MAE |
|---|---|
| AutoTheta ✓ | 0.251798 |
| MSTL | 0.299727 |
| AutoARIMA | 0.306541 |
| AutoETS | 0.318833 |
Forecast horizon: 45 days | Selected: AutoTheta
| Forecast Reliability | |
|---|---|
| Score | 36% |
| H-stat | 18.13 |
| Ljung-Box p | 0.000 |
| Jarque-Bera p | 0.266 |
| Excess Kurtosis | -1.00 |
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Sector | Healthcare |
| Debt to Equity Ratio | 71.082 |
| Revenue per Share | 366.365 |
| Market Cap | 31,986,176,000 |
| Forward P/E | 12.19 |
| Beta | 1.11 |
| Profit Margins | -2.83% |
| Website | https://www.centene.com |
As of Aug. 22, 2026, 4:47 a.m. EDT: Speculators are positioning defensively with heavy out-of-the-money put volume and open interest, particularly at strikes below the current price (e.g., $54, $60, $62), creating a significant 'OI wall' that suggests a fear of downside. While there is some call activity near the money and at higher strikes ($74-$90), the overwhelming open interest concentration in deep OTM puts indicates a market expectation of volatility or a drop, rather than a breakout. Implied volatility is elevated on these protective puts.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| 52 Week Change | 1.2056043 |
| Address1 | Centene Plaza |
| Address2 | 7,700 Forsyth Boulevard |
| All Time High | 98.53 |
| All Time Low | 1.189167 |
| Ask | 65.5 |
| Ask Size | 200 |
| Audit Risk | 2 |
| Average Analyst Rating | 2.3 - Buy |
| Average Daily Volume10 Day | 3,361,230 |
| Average Daily Volume3 Month | 4,885,703 |
| Average Volume | 4,885,703 |
| Average Volume10Days | 3,361,230 |
| Beta | 1.105 |
| Bid | 65.09 |
| Bid Size | 200 |
| Board Risk | 1 |
| Book Value | 45.673 |
| City | Saint Louis |
| Compensation As Of Epoch Date | 1,767,139,200 |
| Compensation Risk | 5 |
| Country | United States |
| Crypto Tradeable | 0 |
| Currency | USD |
| Current Price | 64.75 |
| Current Ratio | 1.145 |
| Custom Price Alert Confidence | HIGH |
| Date Short Interest | 1,786,665,600 |
| Day High | 65.74 |
| Day Low | 64.29 |
| Debt To Equity | 71.082 |
| Display Name | Centene |
| Earnings Call Timestamp End | 1,793,131,200 |
| Earnings Call Timestamp Start | 1,793,131,200 |
| Earnings Timestamp | 1,793,104,200 |
| Earnings Timestamp End | 1,793,104,200 |
| Earnings Timestamp Start | 1,793,104,200 |
| Ebitda | 4,606,000,128 |
| Ebitda Margins | 0.02555 |
| Enterprise To Ebitda | 4.587 |
| Enterprise To Revenue | 0.117 |
| Enterprise Value | 21,129,177,088 |
| Eps Current Year | 4.88635 |
| Eps Forward | 5.31252 |
| Eps Trailing Twelve Months | -10.27 |
| Esg Populated | 0 |
| Exchange | NYQ |
| Exchange Data Delayed By | 0 |
| Exchange Timezone Name | America/New_York |
| Exchange Timezone Short Name | EDT |
| Fifty Day Average | 65.123 |
| Fifty Day Average Change | -0.3730011 |
| Fifty Day Average Change Percent | -0.00572764 |
| Fifty Two Week Change Percent | 120.56043 |
| Fifty Two Week High | 69.36 |
| Fifty Two Week High Change | -4.6100006 |
| Fifty Two Week High Change Percent | -0.06646483 |
| Fifty Two Week Low | 28.24 |
| Fifty Two Week Low Change | 36.510002 |
| Fifty Two Week Low Change Percent | 1.2928472 |
| Fifty Two Week Range | 28.24 - 69.36 |
| Financial Currency | USD |
| First Trade Date Milliseconds | 1,008,253,800,000 |
| Float Shares | 463,634,067 |
| Forward Eps | 5.31252 |
| Forward P E | 12.1881895 |
| Free Cashflow | 9,639,624,704 |
| Full Exchange Name | NYSE |
| Full Time Employees | 61,100 |
| Fullday Change | -0.580002 |
| Fullday Change Percent | -0.887803 |
| Fullday Price | 64.94 |
| Gmt Off Set Milliseconds | -14,400,000 |
| Governance Epoch Date | 1,785,542,400 |
| Gross Margins | 0.11415 |
| Gross Profits | 20,580,999,168 |
| Has Pre Post Market Data | 1 |
| Held Percent Insiders | 0.00382 |
| Held Percent Institutions | 1.01418 |
| Implied Shares Outstanding | 493,995,000 |
| Industry | Healthcare Plans |
| Industry Disp | Healthcare Plans |
| Industry Key | healthcare-plans |
| Ir Website | http://www.centene.com/investors/ |
| Is Earnings Date Estimate | 0 |
| Language | en-US |
| Last Fiscal Year End | 1,767,139,200 |
| Last Split Date | 1,549,497,600 |
| Last Split Factor | 2:1 |
| Long Business Summary | Centene Corporation operates as a managed care company that provides programs and services to under-insured families, and commercial organizations in the United States. It operates through four segments: Medicaid, Medicare, Commercial, and Other. The Medicaid segment offers the temporary assistance for needy families; medicaid expansion; aged, blind, or disabled; and children's health insurance programs, as well as long-term services and supports; foster care; and medicare-medicaid plans. This segment also provides healthcare products and services. The Medicare segment offers special needs and medicare supplement, and prescription drug plans. The Commercial segment provides health insurance marketplace product for individual and commercial group. The Other segment operates clinical healthcare and pharmacies, as well as offers vision and dental, behavioral health, and centralized services. It provides services through primary and specialty care physicians, hospitals, behavioral health practitioners, and ancillary providers. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri. |
| Long Name | Centene Corporation |
| Market | us_market |
| Market Cap | 31,986,176,000 |
| Market State | CLOSED |
| Max Age | 86,400 |
| Message Board Id | finmb_26273 |
| Most Recent Quarter | 1,782,777,600 |
| Net Income To Common | -5,100,000,256 |
| Next Fiscal Year End | 1,798,675,200 |
| Non Diluted Market Cap | 32,272,693,350 |
| Number Of Analyst Opinions | 18 |
| Open | 65.41 |
| Operating Cashflow | 9,749,000,192 |
| Operating Margins | 0.0376 |
| Overall Risk | 1 |
| Payout Ratio | 0.0 |
| Peg Ratio | 0.88 |
| Phone | 314 725 4477 |
| Post Market Change | 0.19000244 |
| Post Market Change Percent | 0.29344007 |
| Post Market Price | 64.94 |
| Post Market Time | 1,787,961,371 |
| Previous Close | 65.33 |
| Price Eps Current Year | 13.2512 |
| Price Hint | 2 |
| Price To Book | 1.4176866 |
| Price To Sales Trailing12 Months | 0.17740136 |
| Profit Margins | -0.02829 |
| Quick Ratio | 1.106 |
| Quote Source Name | Delayed Quote |
| Quote Type | EQUITY |
| Recommendation Key | buy |
| Recommendation Mean | 2.33333 |
| Region | US |
| Regular Market Change | -0.580002 |
| Regular Market Change Percent | -0.887803 |
| Regular Market Day High | 65.74 |
| Regular Market Day Low | 64.29 |
| Regular Market Day Range | 64.29 - 65.74 |
| Regular Market Open | 65.41 |
| Regular Market Previous Close | 65.33 |
| Regular Market Price | 64.75 |
| Regular Market Time | 1,787,947,271 |
| Regular Market Volume | 2,526,609 |
| Return On Assets | 0.02479 |
| Return On Equity | -0.20358999 |
| Revenue Growth | 0.046 |
| Revenue Per Share | 366.365 |
| Sand P52 Week Change | 0.20504117 |
| Sector | Healthcare |
| Sector Disp | Healthcare |
| Sector Key | healthcare |
| Share Holder Rights Risk | 1 |
| Shares Outstanding | 493,995,000 |
| Shares Percent Shares Out | 0.0269 |
| Shares Short | 13,270,562 |
| Shares Short Previous Month Date | 1,784,073,600 |
| Shares Short Prior Month | 13,435,405 |
| Short Name | Centene Corporation |
| Short Percent Of Float | 0.0308 |
| Short Ratio | 2.67 |
| Source Interval | 15 |
| State | MO |
| Symbol | CNC |
| Target High Price | 85.0 |
| Target Low Price | 56.0 |
| Target Mean Price | 71.66667 |
| Target Median Price | 70.5 |
| Total Cash | 27,057,000,448 |
| Total Cash Per Share | 54.772 |
| Total Debt | 16,104,999,936 |
| Total Revenue | 180,304,003,072 |
| Tradeable | 0 |
| Trailing Annual Dividend Rate | 0.0 |
| Trailing Annual Dividend Yield | 0.0 |
| Trailing Eps | -10.27 |
| Trailing Peg Ratio | 0.8888 |
| Triggerable | 1 |
| Two Hundred Day Average | 49.42875 |
| Two Hundred Day Average Change | 15.321251 |
| Two Hundred Day Average Change Percent | 0.3099664 |
| Type Disp | Equity |
| Volume | 2,526,609 |
| Website | https://www.centene.com |
| Zip | 63,105 |