Centene
CNCMarket price data through August 3, 2026.
Performance
Aug 2021 – Aug 2026
Track record
How this pick has done since Benson first called it.
- Benson Return
- -7%
- How much this stock is up since Benson first picked it — measured from the price at the time of that first pick, not from today.
- First pick price
- ~$68
- Roughly what one share cost when Benson first picked this stock. This is the starting line for the Benson Return.
- Tracking since
- July 2026
- The month this stock first became a Benson pick.
- Tracking duration
- 1 month
- How long Benson has been tracking this pick.
About Centene
Centene is one of the largest health insurers in the United States, but a specialized one that focuses on government-sponsored coverage. It runs Medicaid plans for lower-income families, Medicare plans for seniors, and marketplace coverage under the Affordable Care Act, serving tens of millions of members across dozens of states. In simple terms, it collects premiums from government programs and makes money by managing the cost of its members' medical care.
The case for and against
Both sides of the story, in plain English.
- Turnaround Taking Hold
After a brutal 2025, Centene's most important number is finally moving the right way. Its health benefits ratio, the share of premium dollars spent on medical care, fell to 87.3% last quarter from a painful 94.3% just one quarter earlier. That drove adjusted earnings of 3 dollars and 37 cents per share, about 50 cents better than the company expected, and helped the stock nearly double off its low.
- Cheap and Cash Rich
Centene generated 4.4 billion dollars of operating cash flow in a single quarter and used it to pay down 1 billion dollars of debt. Management raised its full-year profit floor to more than 3 dollars and 40 cents per share, and the stock still trades under 15 times that earnings figure, cheaper than most of its peers.
- Washington Risk
Centene lives and dies by government policy. New rules tightening Medicaid eligibility and roughly a trillion dollars of planned federal Medicaid cuts over ten years could push millions of members off its rolls. It is one of the most policy-sensitive names in health insurance, so any bad headline on rates or funding can hit the stock hard.
- Thin Margins
This is a low-margin business where small changes swing profits a lot. Centene still lost money over the past year on a net basis, and if medical costs spike again the way they did in 2025, the recovery could stall. Its marketplace membership is also shrinking fast, with an 8 billion dollar revenue headwind expected this year.
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How to read this page
This automated research summary uses Financial Modeling Prep market data through 2026-08-03. Model signals, scores, and risk labels can change and may be incomplete or wrong.
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