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CNC vs UNH
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Centene Corporation (CNC) vs. UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- CNC and UNH operate in the managed healthcare sector, with UNH offering greater scale through its diversified insurance and services businesses while CNC focuses primarily on government-sponsored programs.
- In recent market activity, UNH delivered a strong second-quarter earnings beat and raised its full-year 2026 guidance, contributing to positive momentum.
- CNC is scheduled to report second-quarter results on July 28, 2026, amid analyst expectations of significant earnings growth but with noted membership declines.
- Year-to-date performance shows CNC with approximately 54% returns compared to roughly 29% for UNH, though both have outperformed the broader market.
- UNH benefits from multiple revenue streams including Optum health services, while CNC maintains a more concentrated exposure to Medicaid and Medicare Advantage.
- Market sentiment has favored UNH following its recent results, whereas CNC sentiment centers on upcoming earnings and operational metrics.
Introduction
Centene Corporation (CNC) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) represent two prominent players in the U.S. healthcare services industry. This comparison examines their business models, recent stock performance, and positioning within the managed care sector. Investors and traders seeking exposure to healthcare stocks, particularly those focused on insurance, government programs, and ancillary services, may find this analysis relevant for assessing relative opportunities in the current market environment.
CNC Overview and Recent Performance
Centene Corporation (CNC) is a leading healthcare enterprise that provides government-sponsored and commercial healthcare programs, with a significant focus on Medicaid and Medicare Advantage. In recent weeks, the stock has traded in the low-to-mid $60 range amid broader market volatility in the healthcare sector. Performance has been supported by strong year-to-date gains, though recent activity reflects investor caution ahead of the company’s second-quarter earnings release scheduled for July 28, 2026. Key influences on sentiment include expectations for substantial earnings per share growth alongside ongoing challenges related to membership trends and revenue estimates.
UNH Overview and Recent Performance
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) is a diversified healthcare company offering insurance through UnitedHealthcare and health services via Optum. Following its second-quarter 2026 earnings report in mid-July, the stock experienced notable upward movement after beating estimates and raising full-year guidance. In recent market activity, shares have traded near $420, reflecting improved sentiment driven by better-than-expected medical cost management and revenue growth across segments. Broader influences include ongoing regulatory considerations and the company’s ability to demonstrate operational progress.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
CNC and UNH differ markedly in scale and diversification. UNH operates a larger platform with substantial contributions from its Optum services unit, providing multiple growth drivers beyond core insurance. In contrast, CNC maintains a more focused portfolio centered on government programs, which can offer stability but also exposes it to policy and reimbursement changes. Recent momentum has favored UNH following its earnings beat and guidance raise, while CNC performance has been influenced by pre-earnings positioning. Risk factors for both include regulatory pressures and medical cost trends, though UNH’s broader operations may provide greater resilience. Market sentiment currently reflects stronger near-term visibility for UNH relative to CNC’s upcoming report.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable factors such as trend consistency following recent earnings, stability in guidance updates, and relative positioning within the healthcare sector, Tickeron’s AI would currently assign a higher probability of favorable momentum to UNH over CNC. This assessment reflects UNH’s demonstrated earnings delivery and raised outlook, though outcomes remain subject to broader market and sector dynamics.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
Disclaimers and LimitationsTo compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is CNC is a StrongBuy and UNH is a Hold.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
CNC’s FA Score shows that 0 FA rating(s) are green whileUNH’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s).
- CNC’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- UNH’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
CNC’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while UNH’s TA Score has 3 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CNC’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 2 bearish.
- UNH’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 6 bearish.
Price Growth
CNC (@Managed Health Care) experienced а +2.87% price change this week, while UNH (@Managed Health Care) price change was -1.22% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Managed Health Care industry was +1.77%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -6.58%, and the average quarterly price growth was +53.13%.
Reported Earning Dates
CNC is expected to report earnings on Oct 27, 2026.
UNH is expected to report earnings on Oct 09, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Managed Health Care (+1.77% weekly)Managed healthcare industry focuses on providing health/medical and disability insurance plans, generally intended to reduce the cost of for-profit health care. The insurance products might be provided through employer-paid (fully or partly) insurance and benefit programs, or through Medicare/Medicaid. Some of the largest providers of managed health care include Aetna, Humana Inc., and Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare.
| CNC | UNH | CNC / UNH | |
| Capitalization | 32.6B | 358B | 9% |
| EBITDA | -2.73B | 22.8B | -12% |
| Gain YTD | 60.486 | 22.523 | 269% |
| P/E Ratio | 9.06 | 25.65 | 35% |
| Revenue | 203B | 450B | 45% |
| Total Cash | 27.1B | N/A | - |
| Total Debt | 16.1B | 77.9B | 21% |
CNC | UNH | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 10 | 19 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 64 Fair valued | 4 Undervalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 100 | 97 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 97 | 64 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 37 | 44 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 68 | 8 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | n/a |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
UNH's Valuation (4) in the Managed Health Care industry is somewhat better than the same rating for CNC (64). This means that UNH’s stock grew somewhat faster than CNC’s over the last 12 months.
UNH's Profit vs Risk Rating (97) in the Managed Health Care industry is in the same range as CNC (100). This means that UNH’s stock grew similarly to CNC’s over the last 12 months.
UNH's SMR Rating (64) in the Managed Health Care industry is somewhat better than the same rating for CNC (97). This means that UNH’s stock grew somewhat faster than CNC’s over the last 12 months.
CNC's Price Growth Rating (37) in the Managed Health Care industry is in the same range as UNH (44). This means that CNC’s stock grew similarly to UNH’s over the last 12 months.
UNH's P/E Growth Rating (8) in the Managed Health Care industry is somewhat better than the same rating for CNC (68). This means that UNH’s stock grew somewhat faster than CNC’s over the last 12 months.
| CNC | UNH | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | N/A | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 72% | 2 days ago 65% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 63% | 2 days ago 60% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 60% | 4 days ago 63% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 64% | 2 days ago 58% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 65% | 2 days ago 55% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 10 days ago 62% | 29 days ago 55% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 16 days ago 63% | 19 days ago 54% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | N/A | 2 days ago 78% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 69% | 2 days ago 65% |
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UNH and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, UNH has been closely correlated with ELV. These tickers have moved in lockstep 66% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if UNH jumps, then ELV could also see price increases.