Centene
Logotype for Centene Corporation

Centene (CNC) investor relations material

Centene Q1 2026 earnings summary

Complete event summary combining all related documents: earnings call transcript, report, and slide presentation.
Logotype for Centene Corporation
Q1 2026 earnings summary28 Apr, 2026

Executive summary

  • Adjusted diluted EPS for Q1 2026 was $3.37, exceeding expectations, with GAAP diluted EPS at $3.11; full-year adjusted EPS guidance was raised to greater than $3.40.

  • Total revenues for Q1 2026 were $49.9 billion, up 7% year-over-year, driven by premium yield, PDP membership growth, and Medicaid rate increases, despite lower Marketplace and Medicaid membership.

  • Strong operational improvements and disciplined execution drove outperformance, especially in Medicaid and Medicare segments.

  • Managed care membership declined by 1.7 million, or 6%, year-over-year, mainly due to Medicaid eligibility redeterminations and Marketplace contraction.

  • Leadership changes were announced to further strengthen business performance and support sustainable growth.

Financial highlights

  • Premium and service revenues grew 5% to $44.7 billion; premium tax revenue rose 28% to $5.3 billion.

  • Health benefits ratio (HBR) was 87.3%, down from 87.5% in Q1 2025; Medicaid HBR improved to 93.1%, Medicare HBR to 84.9%, and Commercial HBR to 75.3%.

  • Cash flow from operations was $4.4 billion in Q1, with $437 million in cash available for corporate use.

  • Debt-to-capital ratio improved to 43.2% from 46.5% at year-end after repurchasing $1 billion in senior notes.

  • Net earnings attributable to shareholders were $1.54 billion, up 18% year-over-year.

Outlook and guidance

  • Full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance raised to greater than $3.40; GAAP diluted EPS guidance floor increased to greater than $2.37.

  • 2026 premium and service revenue guidance raised by $1.0 billion to $171.0–$175.0 billion.

  • Medicaid composite rate yield expected around 4.5%; overall Medicaid membership projected to decline 6% year-over-year.

  • Marketplace pre-tax margin guidance set at 3%, with potential upside pending June Wakely data.

  • No change to full-year HBR range of 90.9%-91.7%; SG&A expense ratio expected between 7.0% and 7.6%.

Marketplace Silver Tier acuity and risk adjustment
Medicare Advantage PDR and profitability path
Drivers of the $1B Medicaid revenue guidance hike
OBBBA impact on Medicaid morbidity from 2027
Marketplace pricing response to APTC expiration
Part D risk-sharing receivable sale terms
Medicaid medical cost trend management levers
Marketplace Silver tier risk adjustment outlook
Impact of IRA on 2027 PDP direct subsidies
Partial view of Summaries dataset, powered by Quartr API
AI can get things wrong. Verify important information.
Research faster. Power your platform.

Next Centene earnings date

Logotype for Centene Corporation
Q2 202628 Jul, 2026
Centene
Your earnings 
season toolkit.
Download
Free on both iOS & Android.

Next Centene earnings date

Logotype for Centene Corporation
Q2 202628 Jul, 2026

The essential earnings season companion

The #1 app for qualitative research. Live earnings calls, AI chat, transcripts, and more. All for free.

Live calls and transcripts

Listen to earnings calls, CMDs, investor conferences, and more – with a podcast-like experience.

Find what you need faster

Search for any keyword across all transcripts simultaneously.

Easily store key findings

Capturing important takeaways is as simple as it gets. Even during your lunch run or commute.

Your watchlist. Your dashboard.

Follow the companies that matter to you. Get a personalized feed with real-time updates.

Be the first to know

Set keyword alerts for any company, product, or competitor. Get notified the moment they're mentioned.

Consensus estimates

Access analyst consensus estimates, valuation multiples, and revenue segments splits.

All IR material in one place

The easiest way to stay updated during earnings season.

Global coverage

All events from public companies. Live and recorded.

Just click and listen

No webcast links. No manual registrations.

Research anytime, anywhere

Built for professionals. Loved by everyone. Try our free mobile app.

excellent app, it gives me free access to company earnings calls and annual reports. I also love the convenience of calls being available offline so I can listen in whilst doing other things and even when internet or WiFi isn't available.
App-store-avatar.png play-store-avatar.png
Leroy DaleyApp Store
One of the very few apps you could call perfect. If something was to add to it, maybe the share price of the company when you search for it, but it's already excellent.
play-store-avatar
Eferix Drawings Google Play
This is genuinely one of the cleanest and fastest finance apps out there to track the market.
App-store-avatar.png play-store-avatar.png
anuj283App Store
excellent app, it gives me free access to company earnings calls and annual reports. I also love the convenience of calls being available offline so I can listen in whilst doing other things and even when internet or WiFi isn't available.
App-store-avatar.png play-store-avatar.png
Leroy DaleyApp Store
One of the very few apps you could call perfect. If something was to add to it, maybe the share price of the company when you search for it, but it's already excellent.
play-store-avatar
Eferix Drawings Google Play
This is genuinely one of the cleanest and fastest finance apps out there to track the market.
App-store-avatar.png play-store-avatar.png
anuj283App Store
I can't remember the last time an app had such a positive impact on my investment process.
x-avatar
@ankurshah47_ x.com
Love the app! Quartr makes it really easy to keep track of earnings calls. It also includes the reports and slides to make it easier to follow along.
App-store-avatar.png play-store-avatar.png
Amina0781App Store
Quartr is amazing, no way around it. It is the best right now for earnings calls, presentations, and the like.
x-avatar
@theshortbearx.com
I can't remember the last time an app had such a positive impact on my investment process.
x-avatar
@ankurshah47_ x.com
Love the app! Quartr makes it really easy to keep track of earnings calls. It also includes the reports and slides to make it easier to follow along.
App-store-avatar.png play-store-avatar.png
Amina0781App Store
Quartr is amazing, no way around it. It is the best right now for earnings calls, presentations, and the like.
x-avatar
@theshortbearx.com

Frequently asked questions

Explore our global coverage