CENTENE CORPORATION vs PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP INC. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where CNC and PFG diverge most: on revenue growth, CNC reads +17.4% and PFG reads -0.2%; on net margin, CNC reads -3.3% and PFG reads 10.1%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What CNC's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (earnings-power basis). What PFG's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range. The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | CNC | PFG |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $67.35 | $112.22 |
| Market cap | $33.4B | $24.7B |
| Sector | Managed Care | Financial Services |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| P/E | — | 16.1 |
| P/B | 1.55 | 2.09 |
| P/S | 0.17 | 1.60 |
| Revenue growth | +17.4% | -0.2% |
| Gross margin | 11.3% | — |
| Operating margin | 3.7% | — |
| Net margin | -3.3% | 10.1% |
| Return on equity | -30.0% | 13.2% |
| Return on assets | -7.9% | 0.5% |
| Return on invested capital | -14.1% | — |
| FCF yield | 21.3% | — |
| Dividend yield | — | 2.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.76 | 0.33 |
| Current ratio | 1.12 | — |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 3.10 | — |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.