Centene Corporation (CNC)

Centene's stock price has experienced fluctuations and a general decline over the past six months. As of June 25, 2025, the share price was $53.54, representing a decline of 20.86% from June 25, 2024, when it was $67.65. More recently, the stock fell by 1.85% in the week prior to an unspecified date and 4.36% in the month prior. Over the past three months, the stock price has changed by -11.07%, despite analysts revising upward the revenue expectations for FY2025. Key events impacting the stock include Medicaid membership decline, rising medical costs, Q4 2024 earnings report (February 2025), Q2 2024 and Q3 2024 performance, and analyst ratings and market sentiment.

Demand for Centene's products and services exhibits some seasonality, particularly concerning its government-sponsored programs. The company strives to maintain continuity of services for seasonal employees who may shift between Medicaid and the health insurance exchanges throughout the year, depending on their seasonal income levels. Centene's financial reporting considers "seasonality" as a factor in estimating medical claims liability. Demand for Centene's exchange-related plans has been rising due to government incentives making plans more affordable, though the expiration of these subsidies at the end of 2025 could impact this demand.

Centene Corporation is a prominent multinational healthcare enterprise based in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in government-sponsored and privately insured healthcare programs. The company operates within the healthcare sector, specifically the managed healthcare and health insurance industries. Centene's core business revolves around providing managed care services to individuals through various government-sponsored programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, and the Health Insurance Marketplace (Affordable Care Act). Its major products and services are categorized into four segments: Medicaid, Medicare, Commercial, and Other/Specialty Services. Historically, Centene has grown through strategic acquisitions, expanding its geographic footprint and service offerings.

Centene operates extensively across the United States, serving over 28 million members as of 2023. The company has a presence in 30 states as the largest Medicaid health insurer, with significant contracts in Florida and New York contributing over 10% of Medicaid premium revenues. It also serves 4.4 million Marketplace members across 29 states and 1.1 million Medicare Advantage members across 37 states. Centene has expanded its Health Insurance Marketplace product, Ambetter Health, into Delaware in 2024, increasing its footprint to 29 states. In January 2024, Centene's California health plan commenced direct Medicaid contracts in 10 counties. The company has also pursued strategic contracts in Medicaid and Medicare segments, including new contracts in Michigan, Texas, and New Hampshire.

Centene has maintained a generally positive brand reputation over the past year, marked by recognitions in Fortune and Forbes rankings, workplace recognition by US News and World Report, diversity recognition by Fair360, leadership recognition in Modern Healthcare, and LGBTQ+ workplace recognition by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group. Community investment initiatives are expected to positively impact its brand reputation and market share by fostering trust and credibility with members, providers, and stakeholders. There were no explicit negative events severely impacting Centene's brand reputation reported within the past year.

Centene Corporation is a publicly traded company with diverse ownership, ranging from individual investors to large institutional holders. Approximately 79.07% of the company's stock is owned by Institutional Investors, 0.67% by Insiders, and 20.26% by Public Companies and Individual Investors. As of June 25, 2025, Centene had 1,787 institutional owners and shareholders holding a total of 530,679,170 shares. The largest institutional shareholders include Vanguard Group Inc, BlackRock, Inc, Fmr Llc, State Street Corp, Harris Associates L P, VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares, Capital World Investors, VFINX - Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares, Geode Capital Management, Llc, and Invesco Ltd.