Centene (NYSE:CNC) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Centene (NYSE:CNC) issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.48, FiscalAI reports. Centene had a positive return on equity of 12.12% and a negative net margin of 2.51%. The company had revenue of $50.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $47.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Centene Price Performance

CNC stock traded up $0.76 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $68.79. 1,105,393 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,573,746. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company has a 50-day moving average of $65.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.72. The company has a market capitalization of $33.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.13. Centene has a twelve month low of $31.63 and a twelve month high of $72.50.

Key Centene News

Here are the key news stories impacting Centene this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings substantially exceeded expectations: Centene reported third-quarter adjusted diluted EPS of $0.58, up from $0.50 a year earlier and above analyst estimates ranging from $0.07 to $0.10. Revenue reached $50.65 billion, surpassing the $47.12 billion consensus estimate and increasing 1.9% year over year. Centene Q3 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Centene raised its 2026 outlook: The company increased adjusted diluted EPS guidance by $0.40 to more than $5.20 and lifted GAAP diluted EPS guidance to more than $3.46. Management also reported a third-quarter health benefits ratio of 92.7%, better than expected, with Medicare driving the improvement while Medicaid and Marketplace operations remained on track. Centene Corporation Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: GAAP results remained pressured: Centene posted a $71 million, or $0.14-per-share, GAAP net loss, although this was a major improvement from the $6.63 billion loss, or $13.50 per share, reported in the prior-year quarter. Investors are likely to focus more on adjusted profitability and the raised outlook, but the negative net margin remains a risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Options activity signaled caution before the release: Traders purchased 12,127 put options, 72% above typical volume. Centene had also declined ahead of earnings as investors questioned whether its prior rally was fully supported by results and guidance. These signals may limit further gains if expectations rise too quickly.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, General Counsel Christopher Koster sold 56,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.90, for a total transaction of $3,779,850.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 248,854 shares in the company, valued at $16,648,332.60. The trade was a 18.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on CNC. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Centene from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $80.00 target price (up from $75.00) on shares of Centene in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group set a $79.00 price objective on Centene in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Zacks Research cut Centene from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Centene from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.05.

Centene Company Profile

Centene Corporation is a diversified healthcare enterprise that provides government-sponsored and commercial health insurance programs and related healthcare services. The company’s offerings are primarily focused on Medicaid, Medicare, and health insurance marketplace plans, with an emphasis on serving individuals and families who may have limited access to traditional healthcare coverage.

Centene operates Medicaid health plans through state-based contracts and offers Medicare Advantage, Medicare prescription drug, and Medicare Supplement products through its Wellcare brand.