Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-08-05 · Permanent

Centene Corporation logoCentene Corporation CNC

Clears the common standard

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · Centene Corporation operates as a managed care company that provides programs and services to under-insured families, and commercial organizations in the United States.

The label
Markup

read at $66.99

Centene Corporation holds its Markup at $66.99.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · passes the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-08-05
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateThe statistical read favours the buyers, held for 18 days
Price$66.99
ValuationN/A trailing · 12.77 forward price to earnings
Values screenPASS · score 70.9
Beta1.11

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Our framework reads FAIR VALUE — it trades above our $64.68 fair value estimate, weak competitive moat, 4.60% revenue growth.

Read at
$66.99
N/A P/E · 12.77 fwd
Our fair value
$64.68
3% premium
Analyst target (avg)
$70.50
+5% to current
Target low $56.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $85.00
▲ current $66.99 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$89.0$59.8$30.5TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$85.00 +30%Analyst avg$70.50 +8%Our fair value$64.68 -1%Conservative$50.40 -23%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$66.99
you are here
Conservative
$50.40
-25%
Analyst avg
$70.50
+5%
Our fair value
$64.68
-3%
Analyst high
$85.00
+27%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as fully-to-richly valued here, while the Street is more bullish — a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.

Revenue growth4.60%
Profit margin-2.83%
Debt to equity71.08
Analyst consensusBuy · 18 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

It depends which standard you follow. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor, and on this company they disagree. Here is how it did on each:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✓ PASSES

Why the two disagree. They fall out over one thing only: the company’s debt. Our stricter standard measures that debt against what the company owns, and it works out too high to pass. The common standard measures the same debt against what the company is worth on the stock market, where it works out low enough to pass. Every other check, the two agree on. So in practice, most halal apps would treat this as fine to hold, while our stricter view would not — and which line you follow is between you and your scholar.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is just 23.7% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling — it does not run on borrowed money. Against market value it is 51.7%, under the 30% line the market-value standard uses — so that standard clears it. Divergent
  • Interest-bearing cash Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 22.2% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is 46.9% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
  • Revenue purity Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Medicaid Safety Net Trades Past Fair Value

Picture a firm paid to cover the families regular insurers skip. Centene sits in that spot, running Medicaid and Medicare plans across four segments. Shares at 66 dollars sit 10 percent above our 60 dollar fair value line, so the opportunity rating stays at fair value.

Revenue edges up 5 percent yet the business posts a negative 4 percent profit margin and negative 26 percent return on equity. A weak moat and forward price to earnings of 14.8 times do not change the fact that returns remain poor. The ethical screen clears, yet that alone does not lift the case.

Analysts lean buy with a 68 dollar median target, but negative returns and thin growth leave plenty of room for disappointment if reimbursement rates tighten. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E12.8x
expensive even after accounting for its growth
Revenue growth4.6%
slow but positive growth
Profit margin-2.8%
currently unprofitable
Return on equity-20.4%
not currently earning a positive return on equity
Debt to equity0.71
moderate, manageable leverage
Current ratio1.15
adequate liquidity, worth monitoring
Beta1.11
moves a little more than the market
Market cap$33.1B
Employees61,000

The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Latest news · what the market is reading on CNC

Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference — not our reporting, not advice.

Related securities · others in CNC's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

CNC trades on a US exchange. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 6.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 46% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 18%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 26%. The street (17 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $58. Entered 2026-07-25 · Markup

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-25 Markup $66.44 +6.6% Entry 4

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 6.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 46% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 18%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 26%. The street (17 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $58.

2026-07-18 Markup $62.33 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 46% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 18%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 26%. The street (17 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $58.

2026-07-03 Markup $62.33 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (71). The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Markup $62.33 Entry 1

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (71). The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed

Most recent filings · CNC
DateInsiderTitleTypeSharesValue
2026-05-12 COUGHLIN CHRISTOPHER J Director 3,992 ·
2026-05-12 SAMUELS THEODORE R II Director 3,992 ·
2026-05-12 TANJI KENNETH Y. Director 3,992 ·
2026-05-12 DALLAS HIRAM JAMES Director 3,992 ·
2026-05-12 BURDICK KENNETH A Director 3,992 ·
2026-05-12 BLUME JESSICA L Director 3,992 ·
2026-05-12 EPPINGER FREDERICK H Director 6,654 ·
2026-05-12 FORD MONTE E. Director 3,992 ·
2026-03-31 COUGHLIN CHRISTOPHER J Director 1,140 ·
2026-03-31 SAMUELS THEODORE R II Director 943 ·

Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.

The political ledger · congressional disclosures

Disclosures naming CNC
DatePoliticianPartyTypeAmount
15 May2026 Ro Khanna Democrat buy 1K–15K
14 Apr2026 Thomas Kean Jr Republican sell 1K–15K

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $56.36 +16.3% · $1,163 +16.3%
2 months $37.30 +75.7% · $1,757 +75.7%
3 months $34.57 +89.6% · $1,896 +89.6%
6 months $40.46 +62.0% · $1,620 +62.0%
1 year $55.51 +18.1% · $1,181 +18.1%
2 years $69.84 -6.2% · $938 -6.2%
3 years $69.00 -5.0% · $950 -5.0%
5 years $70.81 -7.5% · $925 -7.5%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever CNC does next, these words stay.

Centene Corporation · CNC · Markup · $66.99
Recorded 2026-08-05 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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