Centene Corporation reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2026, filing an 8-K on October 27, 2026. The company reported total revenues of $50.647 billion for the quarter, with premium and service revenues reaching $45.105 billion.
On a per-share basis, Centene recorded a GAAP diluted loss of $(0.14) for the third quarter. However, the company reported an adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.58. The adjusted figure excludes items such as severance costs related to enterprise optimization, vendor costs, and acquisition and divestiture expenses.
Membership data shows the company had 25,698,200 total at-risk members as of September 30, 2026. This total was broken down into 11,895,900 Medicaid members, 3,900,700 Commercial members, and 9,501,600 Medicare members. Revenue growth was driven by premium yield and membership growth in the Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) business, as well as rate increases in the Medicaid and Marketplace segments.
Centene updated its full-year 2026 guidance. The company increased its GAAP diluted EPS guidance floor to greater than $3.46 and its adjusted diluted EPS guidance floor to greater than $5.20. Additionally, the company lowered its Health Benefits Ratio (HBR) guidance range to 90.4% to 91.1% and its interest expense guidance to $600 million to $620 million.
The company also reported progress on its balance sheet. Debt was reduced by $1.1 billion since June 30, 2026, including the full redemption of 2027 Senior Notes in October. During the third quarter, the company repurchased $558 million of senior notes due 2027 and 2028, bringing total debt to $15.5 billion.
