# Centene Corporation (CNC) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NYSE, United States. Sector: Healthcare / Health Care Providers & Services. Price $67.04, market value $33.1 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): n/a** (negative earnings). Centene Corporation reported negative earnings over the last twelve months, so the P/E is not meaningful; use price-to-sales, EV/EBITDA and free-cash-flow yield instead.
- **Price / sales: 0.2×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 0.2×, a low multiple typical of thin-margin businesses or out-of-favour stocks.
- **Price / book: 1.5×**. The shares trade at 1.5× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 27.0%** (5-yr avg 11.1%). Free cash flow equals 27.0% of the market value, above its five-year average of 11.1%, so the shares are cheaper on cash than they have usually been. Above 5% is generally attractive.

## Profitability
- **Gross margin: 8.6%**. Centene Corporation keeps 8.6% of revenue after the direct cost of what it sells, a thin margin typical of retail, distribution and commodity businesses.
- **Operating margin: -3.0%**. Operating margin is negative: the business loses money before interest and tax.
- **Net margin: -3.8%**. The company reported a net loss over the last twelve months.
- **Return on equity: -33.4%**. Return on equity is negative because earnings are negative.
- **Return on invested capital: -22.9%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is -22.9%: close to or below the cost of capital, so growth may not create value.
- **Return on assets: -6.6%**. Each dollar of assets produces -6.6% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 20.0%** (3-yr 8.8%/yr, 5-yr 11.0%/yr). Revenue grew 20.0% over the last year, against 11.0% a year compounded over five years: growth is accelerating.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -314.4%**. Earnings per share fell 314.4%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): -6.3%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at -6.3% a year over three years.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.87**. Debt is 0.87 times equity, moderate leverage.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 0.1×**. It would take 0.1 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, within the comfortable range.
- **Altman Z-score: 2.66**. A Z-score of 2.66 is in the grey zone; not distressed, not clearly safe.
- **Piotroski F-score: 4/9**. 4 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend: none**. Centene Corporation does not currently pay a dividend.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: buy** (18 analysts). 18 analysts cover Centene Corporation; the consensus is buy, with an average price target of $71.67 (+7% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 134.0%** (YTD 62.9%, 3-mo 7.6%). The shares are up 134.0% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -3.3%** (132.5% above the low). Trading within 5% of its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 56**. An RSI of 56 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.37** (volatility 49%). Beta of 0.37 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=CNC · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/cnc

Not investment advice.