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Centene (CNC) guidance and outlook
Centene (CNC) raised some and lowered other parts of its guidance on Oct 27, 2026: EPS $3.46 for FY2026; EPS $5.20 for FY2026; Interest expense $600M–$620M for FY2026; Revenue $196.5B for FY2026. Centene's 10-Q filed Oct 27, 2026 makes 20 forward-looking statements, 6 of them new and 0 no longer said since the filing before.
Guidance and outlook
Latest guidance
| Metric | Period | Range | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPS | FY2026 | $3.46 | raised |
| EPS | FY2026 | $5.20 | raised |
| Interest expense | FY2026 | $600M–$620M | lowered |
| Revenue | FY2026 | $196.5B | raised |
| Revenue | FY2026 | $173.0B | new |
| Tax rate | FY2026 | 26.5% | reaffirmed |
From the earnings release filed Oct 27, 2026 (8-K on EDGAR).
Forward-looking statements, 10-Q filed Oct 27, 2026
- We anticipate that future reductions could occur resulting from ongoing state eligibility redetermination processes.
- As a result, we expect a reduction in California Medicaid membership and associated premium revenue beginning in 2027.
- The combined effect of the expiration of the Enhanced APTCs and the Final Rule reduced 2026 Marketplace membership in the first nine months of 2026 compared to 2025 and we anticipate that the combined effects will continue to increase the overall morbidity of the Marketplace population.
- new · We are focused on mitigating increased costs through good-faith negotiations during the open negotiation period as well as payment integrity efforts intended to protect members from unnecessary costs.
- We have receivables due to us from CMS for Part D risk-sharing programs attributable to the 2025 plan year that we expect to be paid by CMS within a year after the plan year closes.
- We believe we are positioned well given our overlapping Medicaid and Medicare Advantage footprints and we will continue to place enterprise-level focus on the D-SNP opportunity to drive long-term growth.
- We expect that our strategic positioning and bid strategy will have continued impacts on Medicare Advantage and PDP results of operations.
- • The combined effect of the expiration of the Enhanced APTCs and the Final Rule led to a higher projected baseline of Marketplace morbidity and, as a result, we took corrective pricing actions for 2026 covering 95% of Marketplace membership.
- The implementation of our third-party pharmacy benefits management (PBM) contract, which commenced in January 2024, along with SG&A initiatives have impacted our current results of operations and will continue to impact future results of operations.
- In addition to the strategic and regulatory factors discussed in Trends and Uncertainties above, the following items are also expected to impact our future results of operations, cash flows and membership, subject to the resolution of various third-party protests within the Medicaid segment:
- new · The rebid was submitted in September 2026 and we anticipate the contract award announcement will occur in early 2027 with a new contract effective date of October 2027.
- new · These ratings will be reflected in our 2027 plan year revenues.
Centene's latest quarter
Centene, Q3 2026: revenue $50.6B (+2% year over year), operating margin -0.6%, net loss $65.0M, operating cash flow −$3.7B. The chart follows the revenue to costs, profit and cash.
Questions
Did Centene raise or lower its guidance?
Centene (CNC) raised some and lowered other parts of its guidance on Oct 27, 2026: EPS $3.46 for FY2026; EPS $5.20 for FY2026; Interest expense $600M–$620M for FY2026; Revenue $196.5B for FY2026.
What does Centene expect?
We are focused on mitigating increased costs through good-faith negotiations during the open negotiation period as well as payment integrity efforts intended to protect members from unnecessary costs. The rebid was submitted in September 2026 and we anticipate the contract award announcement will occur in early 2027 with a new contract effective date of October 2027. These ratings will be reflected in our 2027 plan year revenues.
Updated Nov 8, 2026. Read automatically from SEC filings and public data; errors are possible. Not investment advice.