Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) Rebounds On Improving Cash Flow And Momentum

Centene shows a short-term technical rebound supported by meaningful free cash generation, while operational margins and marketplace guidance developments create headline risk to monitor.

Recent News

On July 1, 2025 the company withdrew its prior 2025 GAAP and adjusted EPS guidance after preliminary Marketplace data indicated lower growth and materially higher morbidity, prompting a refiling of 2026 Marketplace rates. On August 8, 2025 a class-action complaint surfaced alleging misstatements tied to prior guidance disclosures. Coverage since June also highlighted the company’s decision to pull its 2025 outlook and the resulting market and analyst reactions.

Technical Analysis

ADX at 22.98 indicates an emerging trend strength; this level supports the notion that recent directional readings carry informational value for the near term.

DI+ shows a dip & reversal — bullish; DI- shows a dip & reversal — bearish. The simultaneous reversal in both directional indicators signals competing directional pressure, with neither side clearly dominant.

MACD sits at -0.71 and has crossed above its signal line (-1.35); that cross signals a shift toward bullish momentum despite MACD remaining below zero, aligning with a near-term momentum pickup.

MRO at -9.43 registers negative territory, indicating price sits below the oscillator target and that mean-reversion pressure could push price toward that target if momentum persists.

RSI at 37.15 with a peak & reversal pattern reads as downward pressure from recent highs and leaves room for a stabilizing rebound rather than immediate overbought risk.

Price trades below the 20-, 50- and 200-day averages ($29.05, $31.21 and $52.52 respectively), and the close of $28.65 sits within a dip & reversal inside the -2x Bollinger band context; moving-average placement and Bollinger position reflect residual selling with a nascent mean-reversion bias. Volume today (24.0M) exceeds the 10-day average (11.25M), supporting the visibility of recent directional moves.

 


Fundamental Analysis

Total revenue measured $48,742,000,000 for the period; revenue growth registers 4.55% while sequential revenue growth (QoQ) reads -68.06% and the reported year-over-year change shows -422.15%—the QoQ and YoY figures highlight volatile period-to-period comparisons that constrain near-term margin recovery plans.

Net income stood at -$253,000,000 and operating income at -$403,000,000; operating margin equals -0.827% and EBIT margin equals -0.178%, with EBIT margin below the industry peer mean of 6.562%.

Cash flows show strength: operating cash flow totaled $1,785,000,000 and free cash flow reached $1,577,000,000, producing a free cash flow yield of 8.98%, above the industry peer mean of 1.02% and supporting a valuation cushion versus reported operating losses.

Balance-sheet and leverage metrics display mixed signals: total debt equals $17,577,000,000 with net debt of $3,064,000,000; debt-to-equity sits at 64.14% and debt-to-EBITDA reads 77.09x, the latter indicating elevated leverage relative to typical operating earnings. Debt-to-assets equals 20.35% and current ratio equals 1.10, roughly in line with the industry peer mean current ratio of 1.08.

Return metrics remain negative: return on equity at -0.92% and return on assets at -0.29%. Book value per share stands at $55.80 while market capitalization equals $17,558,194,346 and enterprise value equals $17,854,194,346; the enterprise multiple sits near 78.31x.

Valuation context: WMDST values the stock as under-valued. The combination of a near-9% free cash flow yield and ample cash balances ($14,513,000,000) contrasts with negative operating margins and elevated leverage, producing a valuation that reflects risk-adjusted upside if margins stabilize and marketplace morbidity guidance clears.

MOST-RECENT QUARTERLY REPORT
REPORT PERIOD ENDING: 2025-06-30
REPORT DATE: 2025-07-25
NEXT REPORT DATE: 2025-10-24
CASH FLOW  Begin Period Cash Flow 14.9 B
 Operating Cash Flow 1.8 B
 Capital Expenditures -208.00 M
 Change In Working Capital 1.7 B
 Dividends Paid
 Cash Flow Delta -288.00 M
 End Period Cash Flow 14.6 B
 
INCOME STATEMENT REVENUE
 Total Revenue 48.7 B
 Forward Revenue -41.63 B
COSTS
 Cost Of Revenue 45.8 B
 Depreciation 142.0 M
 Depreciation and Amortization 315.0 M
 Research and Development
 Total Operating Expenses 49.1 B
PROFITABILITY
 Gross Profit 2.9 B
 EBITDA 228.0 M
 EBIT -87.00 M
 Operating Income -403.00 M
 Interest Income
 Interest Expense 170.0 M
 Net Interest Income -170.00 M
 Income Before Tax -257.00 M
 Tax Provision 2.0 M
 Tax Rate 21.0 %
 Net Income -253.00 M
 Net Income From Continuing Operations -259.00 M
EARNINGS
 EPS Estimate
 EPS Actual
 EPS Difference
 EPS Surprise
 Forward EPS 1.76
 
BALANCE SHEET ASSETS
 Total Assets 86.4 B
 Intangible Assets 22.6 B
 Net Tangible Assets 4.8 B
 Total Current Assets 40.4 B
 Cash and Short-Term Investments 17.3 B
 Cash 14.5 B
 Net Receivables 21.6 B
 Inventory
 Long-Term Investments 2.5 B
LIABILITIES
 Accounts Payable 13.5 B
 Short-Term Debt 25.0 M
 Total Current Liabilities 36.8 B
 Net Debt 3.1 B
 Total Debt 17.6 B
 Total Liabilities 58.9 B
EQUITY
 Total Equity 27.4 B
 Retained Earnings 16.4 B
VALUATION & PER-SHARE METRICS EQUITY & PER-SHARE METRICS
 Book Value Per-Share 55.80
 Shares Outstanding 491.128 M
 Revenue Per-Share 99.25
VALUATION
 Market Capitalization 17.6 B
 Enterprise Value 17.9 B
 Enterprise Multiple 78.308
Enterprise Multiple QoQ 458.445 %
Enterprise Multiple YoY 844.613 %
Enterprise Multiple IPRWA high: 109.942
CNC: 78.308
mean: 48.798
median: 42.564
low: -33.18
 EV/R 0.366
CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Asset To Equity 3.152
 Asset To Liability 1.467
 Debt To Capital 0.391
 Debt To Assets 0.203
Debt To Assets QoQ -3.335 %
Debt To Assets YoY 14970.37 %
Debt To Assets IPRWA high: 0.904
mean: 0.345
median: 0.25
CNC: 0.203
low: 0.002
 Debt To Equity 0.641
Debt To Equity QoQ -2.269 %
Debt To Equity YoY 15581.174 %
Debt To Equity IPRWA high: 4.335
mean: 1.026
median: 0.765
CNC: 0.641
low: -0.196
PRICE-BASED VALUATION
 Price To Book (P/B) 0.641
Price To Book QoQ -40.879 %
Price To Book YoY -52.208 %
Price To Book IPRWA high: 7.262
mean: 2.042
median: 1.685
CNC: 0.641
low: -0.257
 Price To Earnings (P/E)
Price To Earnings QoQ
Price To Earnings YoY
Price To Earnings IPRWA
 PE/G Ratio
 Price To Sales (P/S) 0.36
Price To Sales QoQ -44.485 %
Price To Sales YoY -60.862 %
Price To Sales IPRWA high: 12.717
mean: 2.321
median: 1.192
CNC: 0.36
low: 0.067
FORWARD MULTIPLES
Forward P/E 32.735
Forward PE/G
Forward P/S -0.422
EFFICIENCY OPERATIONAL
 Operating Leverage -22.967
ASSET & SALES
 Asset Turnover Ratio 0.562
Asset Turnover Ratio QoQ 2.172 %
Asset Turnover Ratio YoY 16.942 %
Asset Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 1.251
CNC: 0.562
mean: 0.519
median: 0.412
low: 0.07
 Receivables Turnover 2.216
Receivables Turnover Ratio QoQ 0.181 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio YoY -7.064 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 7.227
median: 3.879
mean: 3.615
CNC: 2.216
low: 0.428
 Inventory Turnover
Inventory Turnover Ratio QoQ
Inventory Turnover Ratio YoY
Inventory Turnover Ratio IPRWA
 Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) 41.175
CASH CYCLE
 Cash Conversion Cycle Days (CCC)
Cash Conversion Cycle Days QoQ
Cash Conversion Cycle Days YoY
Cash Conversion Cycle Days IPRWA
CAPITAL DEPLOYMENT
 Cash Conversion Ratio 13.528
 CapEx To Revenue -0.004
 CapEx To Depreciation -1.465
 
CAPITAL, LIQUIDITY & COVERAGE CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Total Capital 45.0 B
 Net Invested Capital 45.0 B
 Invested Capital 45.0 B
 Net Tangible Assets 4.8 B
 Net Working Capital 3.6 B
LIQUIDITY
 Cash Ratio 0.47
 Current Ratio 1.098
Current Ratio QoQ -1.229 %
Current Ratio YoY -6.435 %
Current Ratio IPRWA high: 2.697
CNC: 1.098
mean: 1.08
median: 0.976
low: 0.025
 Quick Ratio
Quick Ratio QoQ
Quick Ratio YoY
Quick Ratio IPRWA
COVERAGE & LEVERAGE
 Debt To EBITDA 77.092
 Cost Of Debt 0.748 %
 Interest Coverage Ratio -0.512
Interest Coverage Ratio QoQ -104.541 %
Interest Coverage Ratio YoY -105.323 %
Interest Coverage Ratio IPRWA high: 34.501
mean: 8.611
median: 6.997
CNC: -0.512
low: -13.311
 Operating Cash Flow Ratio 0.014
TIMING / LIQUIDITY
 Days Payables Outstanding (DPO) 30.258
DIVIDENDS
 Dividend Coverage Ratio
 Dividend Payout Ratio
 Dividend Rate
 Dividend Yield
PERFORMANCE GROWTH
 Asset Growth Rate -0.746 %
 Revenue Growth 4.552 %
Revenue Growth QoQ -68.058 %
Revenue Growth YoY -422.151 %
Revenue Growth IPRWA high: 14.746 %
CNC: 4.552 %
mean: 3.127 %
median: 2.641 %
low: -8.99 %
 Earnings Growth
Earnings Growth QoQ
Earnings Growth YoY
Earnings Growth IPRWA
MARGINS
 Gross Margin 6.046 %
Gross Margin QoQ -45.815 %
Gross Margin YoY -45.62 %
Gross Margin IPRWA high: 96.718 %
mean: 27.519 %
median: 16.688 %
CNC: 6.046 %
low: -3.758 %
 EBIT Margin -0.178 %
EBIT Margin QoQ -104.331 %
EBIT Margin YoY -104.191 %
EBIT Margin IPRWA high: 20.811 %
mean: 6.562 %
median: 3.507 %
CNC: -0.178 %
low: -12.746 %
 Return On Sales (ROS) -0.827 %
Return On Sales QoQ -120.122 %
Return On Sales YoY -119.473 %
Return On Sales IPRWA high: 17.775 %
mean: 7.673 %
median: 3.264 %
CNC: -0.827 %
low: -33.294 %
CASH FLOW
 Free Cash Flow (FCF) 1.6 B
 Free Cash Flow Yield 8.982 %
Free Cash Flow Yield QoQ 97.624 %
Free Cash Flow Yield YoY 65.567 %
Free Cash Flow Yield IPRWA high: 10.465 %
CNC: 8.982 %
median: 1.538 %
mean: 1.02 %
low: -16.999 %
 Free Cash Growth 14.691 %
Free Cash Growth QoQ -105.145 %
Free Cash Growth YoY -103.435 %
Free Cash Growth IPRWA high: 530.898 %
mean: 21.138 %
CNC: 14.691 %
median: -66.168 %
low: -877.035 %
 Free Cash To Net Income -6.233
 Cash Flow Margin 1.063 %
 Cash Flow To Earnings -2.047
VALUE & RETURNS
 Economic Value Added 0.02
 Return On Assets (ROA) -0.292 %
Return On Assets QoQ -118.875 %
Return On Assets YoY -121.114 %
Return On Assets IPRWA high: 4.764 %
mean: 1.383 %
median: 1.014 %
CNC: -0.292 %
low: -5.726 %
 Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) -0.175 %
 Return On Equity (ROE) -0.009
Return On Equity QoQ -119.655 %
Return On Equity YoY -122.029 %
Return On Equity IPRWA high: 0.216
median: 0.013
CNC: -0.009
mean: -0.104
low: -0.777
 DuPont ROE -0.915 %
 Return On Invested Capital (ROIC) -0.153 %
Return On Invested Capital QoQ -104.904 %
Return On Invested Capital YoY -97.595 %
Return On Invested Capital IPRWA high: 7.951 %
mean: 3.073 %
median: 2.711 %
CNC: -0.153 %
low: -10.982 %

Six-Week Outlook

Expect a consolidation window with a modest bullish tilt if MACD momentum and the negative MRO mean-reversion dynamic sustain; the technical setup implies the next few weeks could favor a bounce toward short-term moving averages. Headline risk from ongoing Marketplace rate refilings and litigation developments may inject episodic volatility, and materially improved reported margins or clearer guidance on Marketplace morbidity would accelerate upside conviction. Conversely, further negative operating surprises would likely reassert downward pressure. Volume and moving-average convergence should determine whether the current momentum consolidates into a durable rebound or fades back into the established longer-term downtrend.

About Centene Corporation

Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) delivers comprehensive healthcare services, primarily targeting under-insured and uninsured populations across the United States. Established in 1984 and based in St. Louis, Missouri, Centene develops a wide array of health plans through its Medicaid, Medicare, and Commercial segments. The Medicaid segment offers expanded health plans, children’s health insurance programs, and long-term services. In the Medicare segment, Centene addresses the needs of seniors with special needs plans, Medicare supplements, and prescription drug plans. The Commercial segment provides marketplace insurance products for individuals and businesses, ensuring extensive access to healthcare services. Centene actively participates in government healthcare contracts, including the TRICARE program for military families, highlighting its dedication to diverse communities. The company also manages clinical healthcare services, pharmacies, and provides dental and speech therapy, promoting a holistic healthcare approach. By collaborating with primary and specialty care physicians, hospitals, and ancillary providers, Centene aims to deliver personalized, high-quality care to millions of Americans, emphasizing innovation and community well-being.



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