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CNC vs. LH: Centene vs. Labcorp Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Centene (CNC) and Labcorp (LH)
Profile ItemCNCLH
NameCentene Corp.Labcorp Holdings 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 USD29.77 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateDecember 13, 2001March 29, 1990
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CNC
LH
GSPC
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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH), 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 Labcorp (LH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Centene (CNC) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricCNCLH
Total Return (1Y)84.77%48.62%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-0.97%23.39%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-1.48%10.54%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Centene (CNC) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricCNCLH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)46.34%24.36%
Beta (5Y)1.070.85
Max Drawdown (5Y)-74.07%-34.61%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.63M721.05K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CNC and LH 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 Labcorp (LH)
MetricCNCLH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.741.82
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.712.99

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Centene (CNC) at 6.74% and Labcorp (LH) at 11.44% 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%

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.44%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
LH
11.44%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Centene (CNC) at 0.81% and Labcorp (LH) at 6.88% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

6.88%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
LH
6.88%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Centene (CNC) at 0.74% and Labcorp (LH) at 10.91% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.91%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
LH
10.91%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Centene (CNC) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricCNCLH
ROE (TTM)6.74%11.44%
ROA (TTM)2.68%5.48%
Net Margin (TTM)0.81%6.88%
Operating Margin (TTM)0.74%10.91%
Gross Margin (TTM)11.34%28.96%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Centene (CNC) at 19.44% and Labcorp (LH) at 7.25% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Labcorp (LH) at 18.33% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Centene (CNC) at -314.42% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Centene (CNC) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricCNCLH
Revenue Growth (YoY)19.44%7.25%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)10.45%5.55%
EPS Growth (YoY)-314.42%18.33%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)---9.19%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Labcorp (LH) at 1.41 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

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.41

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
LH
1.41
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Centene (CNC) at 0.70 and Labcorp (LH) at 0.77 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.77

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
LH
0.77
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): 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 Labcorp (LH)
MetricCNCLH
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.161.41
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.700.77
Net Debt / EBITDA-1.712.81

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Centene (CNC) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Labcorp (LH) reports a yield of 0.79%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.79%

LH
0.79%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Centene (CNC) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Labcorp (LH) reports a payout of 23.61%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

23.61%

LH
23.61%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Centene (CNC) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricCNCLH
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.79%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%23.61%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Centene (CNC) at 23.97 and Labcorp (LH) at 30.05 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.05

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
LH
30.05
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): 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 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Labcorp (LH) at 2.04 prices around its industry’s middle — CNC costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.04

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
LH
2.04
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): 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 Labcorp (LH) at 3.36 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

LH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.36

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
LH
3.36
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
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Centene (CNC) vs. Labcorp (LH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Centene (CNC) and Labcorp (LH)
MetricCNCLH
P/E Ratio (TTM)23.9730.05
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.192.04
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.553.36
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)8.93%3.55%