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CNC vs. GH: Centene vs. Guardant Health Stock Comparison

How do Centene (CNC) and Guardant Health (GH) 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 Guardant Health (GH) both belong to the Health Care Providers & Services industry, though CNC is classified under Managed Health Care while GH falls under Health Care Services.

Company profile comparison for Centene (CNC) and Guardant Health (GH)
Profile ItemCNCGH
NameCentene Corp.Guardant Health, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Providers & ServicesHealth Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryManaged Health CareHealth Care Services
Market Capitalization34.53 billion USD20.41 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateDecember 13, 2001October 4, 2018
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CNC
GH
GSPC
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH), 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 Guardant Health (GH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Centene (CNC) and Guardant Health (GH). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Centene (CNC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricCNCGH
Total Return (1Y)84.77%66.53%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-0.97%92.76%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-1.48%8.36%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CNC
GH
GSPC
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH), 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 Guardant Health (GH). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Centene (CNC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricCNCGH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)46.34%53.23%
Beta (5Y)1.071.69
Max Drawdown (5Y)-74.07%-85.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.63M1.97M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CNC and GH 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 Guardant Health (GH)
MetricCNCGH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.741.17
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.711.84

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Centene (CNC) earns 6.74% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Guardant Health (GH) has no ROE this period.

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%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
GH
--
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): GH does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; CNC is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative net margin of -37.93%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Centene (CNC) reports 0.81%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-37.93%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
GH
-37.93%
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative operating margin of -37.06%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Centene (CNC) reports 0.74%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-37.06%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
GH
-37.06%
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Centene (CNC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricCNCGH
ROE (TTM)6.74%--
ROA (TTM)2.68%-19.92%
Net Margin (TTM)0.81%-37.93%
Operating Margin (TTM)0.74%-37.06%
Gross Margin (TTM)11.34%65.19%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Guardant Health (GH) at 32.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Centene (CNC) at 19.44% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for GH.

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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Centene (CNC) reports EPS growth of -314.42%, ranked against its industry; Guardant Health (GH) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Centene (CNC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricCNCGH
Revenue Growth (YoY)19.44%32.88%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)10.45%29.75%
EPS Growth (YoY)-314.42%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)----

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Guardant Health (GH) at 3.60 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Centene (CNC) at 1.16 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CNC.

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

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.60

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
GH
3.60
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Centene (CNC) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70 against its industry range, while Guardant Health (GH) reports no figure this period.

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

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
GH
--
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): GH does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; CNC is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Centene (CNC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricCNCGH
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.163.60
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.70--
Net Debt / EBITDA-1.71--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Centene (CNC) nor Guardant Health (GH) 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%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

GH
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Centene (CNC) nor Guardant Health (GH) 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%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

GH
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Centene (CNC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricCNCGH
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Centene (CNC) trades at 23.97 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Guardant Health (GH) has no P/E ratio this period.

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

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
GH
--
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): GH does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; CNC is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Centene (CNC) at 0.19 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Guardant Health (GH) at 15.96 prices above its industry range — a wide gap in sales valuation between them.

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

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.96

GH
15.96
Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative P/B ratio of -73.67, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Centene (CNC) reports 1.55, ranking against industry peers normally.

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

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-73.67

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
GH
-73.67
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Centene (CNC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Centene (CNC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricCNCGH
P/E Ratio (TTM)23.97--
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.1915.96
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.55-73.67
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)8.93%-0.30%