What Happened?

Shares of health coverage company Centene (NYSE: CNC) jumped 5.9% in the afternoon session after the company reported second-quarter results that missed earnings estimates, but the stock rallied as investors looked past the disappointment as sales came in ahead of expectations. 

Centene posted its first quarterly earnings miss in four years, swinging to an adjusted loss per share of $0.16, a stark contrast to the profit recorded in the same quarter last year. The company also set its 2025 earnings guidance significantly below analyst expectations, citing worse-than-expected cost trends in its Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace business. Despite the profitability issues, total revenues for the quarter came in strong at $48.7 billion, handily beating expectations. While the stock initially dropped sharply in pre-market trading on the earnings miss, it reversed course and rallied during the company's earnings call. This turnaround suggested investors may have gained confidence from management's commentary and their stated plan to address the cost issues and restore profitability.

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What Is The Market Telling Us

Centene’s shares are somewhat volatile and have had 13 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 7 days ago when the stock dropped 3.9% as several negative developments weighed on the sector. Weakness in managed care providers was a significant factor, with companies like Elevance Health and Humana seeing declines due to an analyst downgrade and a lost lawsuit regarding Medicare bonus payments, respectively. Additionally, some pharmaceutical and biotech companies experienced sharp drops following unfavorable news; for instance, Sarepta Therapeutics plunged after a report indicated another patient death tied to its experimental gene therapy, and GSK's blood cancer drug dosage was voted against by the FDA advisory committee. Broader market sentiment, including concerns about rising costs and inadequate pricing for 2025 plans among health insurers, also contributed to the downward pressure on healthcare equities.

Centene is down 53.3% since the beginning of the year, and at $28.29 per share, it is trading 64.7% below its 52-week high of $80.23 from September 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Centene’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $420.47.

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