CENTENE CORPORATION vs Unum Group, two Managed Care stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
No growth column exists here, but the trajectories are legible anyway: Unum's disability-and-group-life book earns a steady 5.9% net margin priced at 19.5 times, while Centene's Medicaid book runs at a loss, negative 3.3% net, and trades on recovery hope rather than earnings. The stability gap shows in returns, 7.2% on equity against negative 30%. Unum pays a 2% dividend; Centene retains its float. Two insurers under one sector tag whose risks barely overlap: Unum's is actuarial, long-tail claims priced years ago; Centene's is political, state rate-setting cycles. The market currently trusts the actuarial tables and not the statehouses, and the prices say by how much.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | CNC | UNM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $65.73 | $90.06 |
| Market cap | $32.6B | $14.8B |
| Sector | Managed Care | Managed Care |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| P/E | — | 19.5 |
| P/B | 1.51 | 1.36 |
| P/S | 0.16 | 1.11 |
| Revenue growth | +17.4% | +4.4% |
| Gross margin | 11.3% | — |
| Operating margin | 3.7% | — |
| Net margin | -3.3% | 5.9% |
| Return on equity | -30.0% | 7.2% |
| Return on assets | -7.9% | 1.3% |
| Return on invested capital | -14.1% | — |
| FCF yield | 21.8% | 3.6% |
| Dividend yield | — | 1.9% |
| Debt / equity | 0.76 | 0.35 |
| Current ratio | 1.12 | — |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 3.09 | 0.69 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 9 / 9 |
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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.