Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) on Tuesday posted better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and 2026 outlook.
The company reported a first-quarter 2026 adjusted loss of $3.37, beating the consensus of $2.13 per share, approximately 50 cents better than the company’s expectations. Centene’s sales reached $49.94 billion, exceeding the consensus estimate of $47.53 billion.
In an investor call, the company said, “Medicaid results in the quarter were ahead of our previous projection, outperforming our HBR expectation in the period within that, we experienced a flu season that was lighter than our original forecast and saw a slight utilization benefit from weather events.”
Centene expects fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings of more than $3.40, versus prior guidance of $3 per share, compared to the …