CNC vs. EW: Centene vs. Edwards Lifesciences Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 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

Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but CNC is classified in Health Care Providers & Services while EW is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies.

Company profile comparison for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Profile Item	CNC	EW
Name	Centene Corp.	Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
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 Providers & Services	Health Care Equipment & Supplies
GICS Sub-Industry	Managed Health Care	Health Care Equipment
Market Capitalization	34.53 billion USD	58.73 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 13, 2001	March 27, 2000
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CNC

GSPC

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	CNC	EW
Total Return (1Y)	84.77%	25.08%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-0.97%	17.28%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-1.48%	-2.77%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CNC

GSPC

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	CNC	EW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	46.34%	25.58%
Beta (5Y)	1.07	0.78
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-74.07%	-54.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.63M	3.69M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CNC and EW are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	CNC	EW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.74	0.81
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.71	1.23

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Centene (CNC) at 6.74% and Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 9.33% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.33%

Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
EW: 9.33%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 15.30% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Centene (CNC) at 0.81%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.30%

Max: 29.35%
EW: 15.30%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 30.15% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Centene (CNC) at 0.74%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.15%

Max: 35.43%
EW: 30.15%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	CNC	EW
ROE (TTM)	6.74%	9.33%
ROA (TTM)	2.68%	8.77%
Net Margin (TTM)	0.81%	15.30%
Operating Margin (TTM)	0.74%	30.15%
Gross Margin (TTM)	11.34%	78.02%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Centene (CNC) at 19.44% and Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 11.55% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Neither side shows strong earnings momentum: Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at -73.74% sits in the bottom EPS growth quartile, and Centene (CNC) at -314.42% is weaker still, below its industry range.

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	CNC	EW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	19.44%	11.55%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.45%	10.77%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-314.42%	-73.74%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-9.14%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 4.60 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Centene (CNC) at 1.16 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

4.60

Max: 7.59
EW: 4.60
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 0.06 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Centene (CNC) at 0.70 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.06

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
EW: 0.06
Min: 0.00

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	CNC	EW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.16	4.60
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.70	0.06
Net Debt / EBITDA	-1.71	-1.88

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Centene (CNC) nor Edwards Lifesciences (EW) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

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%

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

EW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Centene (CNC) nor Edwards Lifesciences (EW) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

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%

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

EW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	CNC	EW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Centene (CNC) at 23.97 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 59.38 sits in the richer quartile — EW needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

59.38

Max: 80.41
EW: 59.38
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Centene (CNC) at 0.19 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 8.80 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

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

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.80

EW: 8.80
Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Centene (CNC) at 1.55 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Edwards Lifesciences (EW) at 5.41 is valued near its industry’s middle — CNC is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

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

EW

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.41

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
EW: 5.41
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

Centene (CNC) vs. Edwards Lifesciences (EW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Centene (CNC) and Edwards Lifesciences (EW)
Metric	CNC	EW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	23.97	59.38
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.19	8.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.55	5.41
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	8.93%	1.95%