BSX vs. CNC: Boston Scientific vs. Centene Stock Comparison
How do Boston Scientific (BSX) and Centene (CNC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.
Company Profile
Boston Scientific (BSX) and Centene (CNC) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but BSX is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies while CNC is classified in Health Care Providers & Services.
| Profile Item | BSX | CNC |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Boston Scientific Corp. | Centene Corp. |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Health Care | Health Care |
| GICS Industry Group | Health Care Equipment & Services | Health Care Equipment & Services |
| GICS Industry | Health Care Equipment & Supplies | Health Care Providers & Services |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Health Care Equipment | Managed Health Care |
| Market Capitalization | 61.96 billion USD | 34.53 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | NYSE | NYSE |
| Listing Date | May 19, 1992 | December 13, 2001 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | BSX | CNC |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | -55.98% | 84.77% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | -5.05% | -0.97% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | 0.57% | -1.48% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
| Metric | BSX | CNC |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 40.16% | 46.34% |
| Beta (5Y) | 0.57 | 1.07 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -61.55% | -74.07% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 19.73M | 4.63M |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | BSX | CNC |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | -1.50 | 1.74 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | -1.80 | 2.71 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Both Boston Scientific (BSX) at 14.12% and Centene (CNC) at 6.74% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.
BSX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
14.12%
- Max
- 47.61%
- Q3
- 14.36%
- BSX
- 14.12%
- Median
- 5.45%
- Q1
- -10.67%
- Min
- -47.01%
CNC
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
6.74%
- Max
- 47.61%
- Q3
- 14.36%
- CNC
- 6.74%
- Median
- 5.45%
- Q1
- -10.67%
- Min
- -47.01%
Net Margin (TTM)
Boston Scientific (BSX) at 16.62% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Centene (CNC) at 0.81%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.
BSX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
16.62%
- Max
- 29.35%
- BSX
- 16.62%
- Q3
- 9.33%
- Median
- 2.18%
- Q1
- -6.29%
- Min
- -28.46%
CNC
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.81%
- Max
- 29.35%
- Q3
- 9.33%
- Median
- 2.18%
- CNC
- 0.81%
- Q1
- -6.29%
- Min
- -28.46%
Operating Margin (TTM)
Boston Scientific (BSX) at 19.05% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Centene (CNC) at 0.74%, which runs around its industry’s norm.
BSX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
19.05%
- Max
- 35.43%
- BSX
- 19.05%
- Q3
- 14.14%
- Median
- 6.81%
- Q1
- -0.28%
- Min
- -16.29%
CNC
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.74%
- Max
- 35.43%
- Q3
- 14.14%
- Median
- 6.81%
- CNC
- 0.74%
- Q1
- -0.28%
- Min
- -16.29%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | BSX | CNC |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 14.12% | 6.74% |
| ROA (TTM) | 5.87% | 2.68% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 16.62% | 0.81% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 19.05% | 0.74% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | 67.98% | 11.34% |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Both Boston Scientific (BSX) at 19.87% and Centene (CNC) at 19.44% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.
EPS Growth
Boston Scientific (BSX) at 55.20% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Centene (CNC) at -314.42% falls below its industry range — a large difference in per-share earnings trajectories.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | BSX | CNC |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 19.87% | 19.44% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 16.54% | 10.45% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | 55.20% | -314.42% |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | 62.75% | -- |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
Both Boston Scientific (BSX) at 1.37 and Centene (CNC) at 1.16 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.
BSX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
1.37
- Max
- 7.59
- Q3
- 4.00
- Median
- 1.98
- Q1
- 1.37
- BSX
- 1.37
- Min
- 0.30
CNC
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
1.16
- Max
- 7.59
- Q3
- 4.00
- Median
- 1.98
- Q1
- 1.37
- CNC
- 1.16
- Min
- 0.30
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
Both Boston Scientific (BSX) at 0.46 and Centene (CNC) at 0.70 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.
BSX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.46
- Max
- 1.88
- Q3
- 0.91
- Median
- 0.58
- BSX
- 0.46
- Q1
- 0.16
- Min
- 0.00
CNC
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.70
- Max
- 1.88
- Q3
- 0.91
- CNC
- 0.70
- Median
- 0.58
- Q1
- 0.16
- Min
- 0.00
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | BSX | CNC |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 1.37 | 1.16 |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | 0.46 | 0.70 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 2.04 | -1.71 |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Neither Boston Scientific (BSX) nor Centene (CNC) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.
BSX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.00%
- BSX
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
CNC
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.00%
- CNC
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
Neither Boston Scientific (BSX) nor Centene (CNC) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.
BSX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.00%
- BSX
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
CNC
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.00%
- CNC
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | BSX | CNC |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
Boston Scientific (BSX) at 18.04 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Centene (CNC) at 23.97 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for BSX, though growth and earnings durability still matter.
BSX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
18.04
- Max
- 80.41
- Q3
- 47.62
- Median
- 29.93
- Q1
- 21.19
- BSX
- 18.04
- Min
- 4.21
CNC
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
23.97
- Max
- 80.41
- Q3
- 47.62
- Median
- 29.93
- CNC
- 23.97
- Q1
- 21.19
- Min
- 4.21
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Centene (CNC) at 0.19 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Boston Scientific (BSX) at 2.94 prices around its industry’s middle — CNC costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.
BSX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
2.94
- Max
- 8.80
- Q3
- 4.32
- BSX
- 2.94
- Median
- 2.13
- Q1
- 1.10
- Min
- 0.03
CNC
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.19
- Max
- 8.80
- Q3
- 4.32
- Median
- 2.13
- Q1
- 1.10
- CNC
- 0.19
- Min
- 0.03
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
Centene (CNC) at 1.55 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Boston Scientific (BSX) at 2.42 is valued near its industry’s middle — CNC is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.
BSX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
2.42
- Max
- 11.68
- Q3
- 6.12
- Median
- 3.00
- BSX
- 2.42
- Q1
- 1.73
- Min
- -1.31
CNC
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
1.55
- Max
- 11.68
- Q3
- 6.12
- Median
- 3.00
- Q1
- 1.73
- CNC
- 1.55
- Min
- -1.31
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | BSX | CNC |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 18.04 | 23.97 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 2.94 | 0.19 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 2.42 | 1.55 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | 4.02% | 8.93% |