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Centene Corp.

$CNC·$32B·Medical - Healthcare Plans·Healthcare
$64.43-4.5%YTD+55.6%1Y+122.2%
Mentions · last 7 days
2026-08-10: 13 posts2026-08-11: 10 posts2026-08-12: 10 posts2026-08-13: 7 posts2026-08-14: 8 posts2026-08-15: 9 posts2026-08-16: 13 posts70+12%
Price updated 11h ago·X counts updated 1d ago
CNCNC
$CNCCentene Corp.
$64.43-4.51%70 posts+12%
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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AI verdict & sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Today's AI verdict on what's driving $CNC, plus how loud the X conversation is and which way it's leaning.

AI analysis

TickerTalks’ read on the fundamentals and what’s driving the move.

Comeback attemptAcceleratingAI verdict · as of 2026-08-17

The move is getting stronger, with heavier trading behind it.

Centene +150% in twelve months on Q2 EPS +130% surprise — the healthcare-plan compounder finally executing the turnaround.

Centene Corporation is one of the largest US managed-care organizations — Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, Marketplace/Ambetter, and TRICARE — a scale operator that has spent 2024-2026 executing a real medical-loss-ratio-and-margin turnaround.

  • The Q2 print was extraordinary: EPS of $2.51 crushed the $1.09 estimate by 130% (following a Q1 51% beat) — a real earnings surprise indicating the medical-loss ratio is normalizing faster than modeled — revenue of $53.6B was above pace, and consensus models revenue growing from $195B this year to $193B by 2027 with EPS climbing from $4.59 to $5.12.
  • The financials describe a healthcare compounder inflecting: trailing PE is negative (loss-making trailing) but forward multiples are cheap, operating margin is negative 4% (thin, reflecting recent margin pressure), return on invested capital is negative 18%, gross margin of 15%, free-cash-flow yield of 19% — the forward trajectory is genuinely a turnaround if the MLR-normalization continues.
  • The tape has re-rated hard: at $64.89 the stock is up 151% over twelve months and 56% year-to-date, sitting at 96th percentile of the 52-week range, 4% above the 50-day moving average, and 40% above the 200-day — 30-day volume muted (0.47x) reflects patient accumulation, and inclusion in the bullish healthcare-cohort call alongside UNH and OSCR is real sector-flow validation.

With the turnaround trajectory intact and MLR normalization continuing, the setup runs into the Oct 27 Q3 print if EPS clears the $0.07 estimate. What breaks the trade is a Q3 MLR step-up, a Marketplace/Ambetter subscriber loss disclosure, or a regulatory rate-cut disclosure.

Agrees with X sentimentThe bullish framing on the Centene turnaround plus the bullish healthcare-cohort call alongside UNH and OSCR is well-supported by the +130% Q2 EPS surprise — this is a real turnaround setup, and the crowd has this framed correctly.

What to watch: The Oct 27 Q3 print — EPS versus the $0.07 estimate, medical-loss ratio trend, Marketplace/Ambetter subscriber growth, and any commentary on regulatory rate environment; a beat plus stable MLR restarts the trade, a MLR step-up or subscriber decline resets the multiple.

On the calendar: 2026-10-27 — Q3 earnings

at all time highsturnaround executionmlr normalization

X sentiment

What the X crowd is saying right now — descriptive, summarised from the day’s posts.

Bullish sentiment5 posts analyzed · as of 2026-08-10

$CNC chatter splits between Canada Nickel and Centene but both angles are constructive. Canada Nickel received federal approval for its Crawford polymetallic mine in Ontario, with a construction decision expected next year, and posted additional exploration drilling results with a 1.01% Ni intercept over 4.5 m. For Centene the Ambetter reference lands in a bullish healthcare-cohort call alongside $UNH and $OSCR. No bear voices in the sample.

Read the AI verdict + X sentiment for $CNC

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
  • Next dated catalyst when there is one (earnings, deal closing, activist clock)
  • X crowd read with bullish/bearish call + post volume
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What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Managed care organization operating Medicaid, Medicare, and ACA marketplace health plans for under-insured populations across 30+ U.S. states.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Medical - Healthcare Plans sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $CNC.

Medical - Healthcare Plans · Healthcare

No material change from last week — Oscar Health's AI-driven clinical platform is gaining member growth while the UNH Medicaid fraud litigation adds regulatory risk to legacy insurers.

What this means for $CNC

Partial — Managed care organization operating Medicaid, Medicare, and ACA marketplace health plans for under-insured populations across 30+ U.S. states; partial earnings exposure to medical - healthcare plans demand dynamics through its product portfolio.

Top industry ETF

$IHFiShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF
+17.6%YTD
+21.9%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
-5.2How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
-17.7%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
-3.7%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
18.9%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
0.2Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
-28.7%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
14.9%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
0.8Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Jul 28, 2026$2.51$1.09+130.3%
Q1 2026Apr 28, 2026$3.37$2.23+51.1%
Q4 2025Feb 6, 2026$-1.19$-1.22+2.5%
Q3 2025Oct 29, 2025$0.50$-0.14+445.4%
Next earningsTue, Oct 27·consensus EPS $0.07

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q1 FY26$49.9B+7.1%21.9%3.7%$3.13$3.4B
Q4 FY25$49.7B+21.9%15.2%-3.5%$-2.24$224.0M
Q3 FY25$49.7B+18.2%16.4%-14.0%$-13.50$1.1B
Q2 FY25$48.7B+22.4%6.0%-0.9%$-0.51$1.6B

Forward consensus

5-year forecast · up to 12 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$195.2B$191.2B – $198.3B$4.59$4.08 – $6.1110
FY27$192.6B$185.3B – $197.8B$5.12$4.34 – $6.6212
FY28$199.2B$189.9B – $207.9B$6.40$5.60 – $7.2312
FY29$206.6B$199.4B – $212.0B$7.96$7.60 – $8.2211
FY30$215.0B$207.5B – $220.5B$9.00$8.59 – $9.306

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.0.8×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.88%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.-0.8%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.+33.4%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatHigh float · 483.3M shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today0.7% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.β1.105-year weekly beta vs the S&P 500. Above 1.5 means the stock typically moves more than the index; below 0.8 moves less.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellJun 10Kenneth A BurdickDirector80.0K sh$5.2M
+ 29 other (20 awards · 8 inkinds · 1 discretionary) in window

See when $CNC insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
  • 30 / 60 / 180-day windows so you can spot building conviction
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SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

8-KOfficer or director changeAug 178-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Centene Corporation's CFO Andrew Asher announced his retirement effective December 31, 2026; he will serve as Strategic Advisor through the end of 2027 to ensure an orderly transition. Centene named Christopher Neczypor as his successor, effective January 1, 2027 — Neczypor (age 45) was CFO of Lincoln National Corporation from February 2023 to August 2026, with his Centene employment agreement signed August 12, 2026. The transition is planned and well-structured, with a year-long overlap period, reducing execution risk; Neczypor brings insurance and investment finance depth relevant to Centene's managed care and risk-bearing business.

3New insider — initial holdingsJul 283
AI summary

Paul J. Diaz filed Form 3 as a new reporting person at Centene Corporation (CNC), listing his address as 7700 Forsyth Blvd, St. Louis, MO — Centene's corporate headquarters, indicating a new director or officer appointment. The event date is July 28, 2026. No securities are listed as currently held in the form excerpt; this is a routine initial insider ownership disclosure.

8-KOfficer or director changeJul 288-K — Item 2.02: Earnings release · Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Centene Corporation (CNC) reported Q2 2026 financial results on July 28, 2026 via press release and investor presentation furnished as exhibits, and also disclosed one or more officer/director changes under Item 5.02. No headline financial figures or specific officer change details appear in the filing body excerpt. This is a combined earnings and governance disclosure for the managed care company; revenue, MCR, and guidance are in the attached press release.

3New insider — initial holdingsJun 223
AI summary

Lauren M. Tyler (director, St. Louis) filed a Form 3 initial beneficial ownership statement for Centene as of June 19, 2026. Administrative disclosure for newly elected director.

8-KOfficer or director changeJun 228-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Centene's Board elected Lauren Tyler (JPMorgan Chase veteran, former Global Head of HR for Asset and Wealth Management) effective June 19, 2026, expanding from 9 to 10 members; she joins the Audit and Compensation committees from July 1. Governance addition with financial services and human capital expertise.

3New insider — initial holdingsMay 183
AI summary

Daniel P. Finke (7700 Forsyth Boulevard, St. Louis MO) filed a Form 3 initial beneficial ownership statement for Centene as of May 12, 2026. Administrative disclosure.

3New insider — initial holdingsMay 183
AI summary

Michael A. Carson (7700 Forsyth Boulevard, St. Louis MO) filed a Form 3 initial beneficial ownership statement for Centene as of May 12, 2026. Administrative disclosure for a second Centene reporter.

8-KOfficer or director changeMay 158-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 5.07: Shareholder vote
AI summary

Centene's 2026 Annual Meeting on May 12, 2026 (412.97M shares represented). All 9 director nominees were elected; Jessica Blume received the highest withheld vote at 51.8M against (approximately 13.9%). Additional proposals not fully visible. Annual meeting with notably elevated withholds against one director.

+ 12 other (3 8-Ks · 2 10-Qs · 2 13Gs · 2 proxys) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

Should Value Investors Buy Centene (CNC) Stock?zacks.com·21h agoLooking for Earnings Beat? Buy These 5 Top-Ranked Stockszacks.com·22h agoHealth Insurer Centene's Chief Financial Officer To Step Downforbes.com·1d agoCentene names Chris Neczypor as new CFOreuters.com·1d agoCentene Announces Planned Chief Financial Officer Transitionprnewswire.com·1d ago

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Voices on X · last 7 days

No standout posts about $CNC on X in the last 7 days.

TickerTalks is a research tool, not financial advice. We surface social-attention data; we do not make stock recommendations. Past attention is not predictive of future price movements.

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