CNC vs. PEN: Centene vs. Penumbra Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Centene (CNC) and Penumbra (PEN) 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 Penumbra (PEN) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but CNC is classified in Health Care Providers & Services while PEN is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies.

Company profile comparison for Centene (CNC) and Penumbra (PEN)
Profile Item	CNC	PEN
Name	Centene Corp.	Penumbra Inc.
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	12.58 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 13, 2001	September 18, 2015
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CNC

PEN

GSPC

Centene (CNC) vs. Penumbra (PEN), 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 Penumbra (PEN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Centene (CNC) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	CNC	PEN
Total Return (1Y)	84.77%	20.52%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-0.97%	20.38%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-1.48%	3.15%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CNC

PEN

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Centene (CNC) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	CNC	PEN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	46.34%	19.78%
Beta (5Y)	1.07	0.68
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-74.07%	-59.60%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.63M	348.64K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CNC and PEN 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 Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	CNC	PEN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.74	0.82
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.71	1.56

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Centene (CNC) at 6.74% and Penumbra (PEN) at 10.67% 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%

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.67%

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

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Penumbra (PEN) at 10.06% 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%

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.06%

Max: 29.35%
PEN: 10.06%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Centene (CNC) vs. Penumbra (PEN): 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 Penumbra (PEN) at 12.37% 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%

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

12.37%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
PEN: 12.37%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Centene (CNC) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	CNC	PEN
ROE (TTM)	6.74%	10.67%
ROA (TTM)	2.68%	6.28%
Net Margin (TTM)	0.81%	10.06%
Operating Margin (TTM)	0.74%	12.37%
Gross Margin (TTM)	11.34%	67.99%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Centene (CNC) at 19.44% and Penumbra (PEN) at 17.50% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Penumbra (PEN) at 1,155.56% sits above its peer range for EPS growth; Centene (CNC) at -314.42% sits below its range, putting their earnings trajectories at opposite ends.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Centene (CNC) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	CNC	PEN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	19.44%	17.50%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.45%	18.33%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-314.42%	1,155.56%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Penumbra (PEN) at 5.89 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

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.89

Max: 7.59
PEN: 5.89
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Penumbra (PEN) at 0.13 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

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.13

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
PEN: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Centene (CNC) vs. Penumbra (PEN): 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 Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	CNC	PEN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.16	5.89
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.70	0.13
Net Debt / EBITDA	-1.71	-2.22

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Centene (CNC) nor Penumbra (PEN) 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%

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Centene (CNC) nor Penumbra (PEN) 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%

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Centene (CNC) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	CNC	PEN
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 Penumbra (PEN) at 80.41 sits in the richer quartile — PEN 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

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

80.41

PEN: 80.41
Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

Centene (CNC) vs. Penumbra (PEN): 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 Penumbra (PEN) at 8.06 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

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.06

Max: 8.80
PEN: 8.06
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

Centene (CNC) vs. Penumbra (PEN): 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 looks cheap against book in the lower P/B ratio quartile, while Penumbra (PEN) at 7.95 carries a premium in the upper quartile — a clear price-to-book gap.

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

PEN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.95

Max: 11.68
PEN: 7.95
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Centene (CNC) and Penumbra (PEN)
Metric	CNC	PEN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	23.97	80.41
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.19	8.06
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.55	7.95
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	8.93%	1.32%