For the quarter ended September 2025, Centene (CNC) reported revenue of $49.69 billion, up 18.2% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.50, compared to $1.62 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue represents a surprise of +4.35% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $47.62 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being -$0.21, the EPS surprise was +338.1%.
While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.
Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.
Here is how Centene performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
- Total Medical Health (Benefits) loss Ratios -Total Ratio (HBR): 92.7% versus 93% estimated by five analysts on average.
- Membership Medicaid - High Acuity Medicaid: 1.59 million versus 1.6 million estimated by four analysts on average.
- Membership by line of business - Medicare PDP: 7.97 million compared to the 7.88 million average estimate based on four analysts.
- Membership by line of business - Medicare: 1.01 million compared to the 1.03 million average estimate based on four analysts.
- Revenues- Premium: $44.13 billion versus the five-analyst average estimate of $42.81 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +22.2%.
- Revenues- Service: $772 million compared to the $727.33 million average estimate based on five analysts. The reported number represents a change of -1.5% year over year.
- Revenues- Premium and service revenues: $44.9 billion versus the five-analyst average estimate of $43.54 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +21.7%.
- Revenues- Premium tax: $4.79 billion versus the five-analyst average estimate of $4.07 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -6.5%.
- Revenues- Premium and service revenues- Medicaid: $23.17 billion versus $22.33 billion estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +8.7% change.
- Revenues- Premium and service revenues- Commercial: $10.99 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $10.41 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +26.5%.
- Revenues- Premium and service revenues- Medicare: $9.39 billion compared to the $9.53 billion average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +66.4% year over year.
- Revenues- Premium and service revenues- Other: $1.34 billion versus $1.25 billion estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +7.8% change.
View all Key Company Metrics for Centene here>>>
Shares of Centene have returned -7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.
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Centene Corporation (CNC): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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