Centene Corp vs Hormel Foods Corp — how do they compare? Centene Corp trades at $66.06 (market cap $33.93B), while Hormel Foods Corp trades at $24.8 (market cap $13.65B). The key difference: Centene Corp is far larger — about 2.5× Hormel Foods Corp's market cap, and Hormel Foods Corp pays a 4.72% dividend while Centene Corp pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CNC | HRL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $33.93B | $13.65B |
Sector | Health | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $68.72 | $29.91 |
52-Week Low | $25.21 | $19.74 |
Enterprise Value | $26.56B | $15.65B |
Dividend Yield | — | 4.72% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Centene Corporation (CNC) trades at $68.29, up 1.4% with strong technical momentum and bullish moving average signals. The stock shows impressive 66% YTD gains, supported by recent contract renewals and margin recovery initiatives. Despite negative 2025 net income of -$6.67B, valuation metrics remain attractive with P/E of 8.06 and P/S of 0.17. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with 61% buy ratings and $66.07 price target.
Centene presents a compelling value opportunity with low valuation multiples and strong operational cash flow of $5.09B. Key risks include ongoing margin pressure and Medicaid contract dependency. The company's AI-driven cost controls and recent Illinois Medicaid renewal provide catalysts for earnings recovery, though healthcare regulatory changes remain a concern for long-term stability.
Hormel Foods (HRL) trades at $24.46, down 1.11% on the day, with a neutral technical outlook and mixed analyst sentiment. The company has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters, though net income margin has compressed to 3.82% in 2025 from 6.75% in 2024. Recent strategic moves include the sale of its Brazilian Ceratti operations to focus on higher-growth markets, while maintaining its Dividend King status with 60 consecutive years of dividend increases.
The stock presents a value opportunity with a P/E of 28.78 and consensus price target of $26.33 (7.6% upside), but faces margin pressure from input cost inflation and competitive headwinds. The dividend yield of approximately 4.7% provides income support, though earnings stabilization remains key for sustained recovery from multi-year lows.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Centene is a managed-care organization focused on government-sponsored healthcare plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, and the individual exchanges. Centene served 22 million medical members as of September 2021, mostly in Medicaid (68% of membership), the individual exchanges (10%), Medicare Advantage (6%), and the balance in Tricare (West region), correctional facility, and international plans. The company also serves 4 million users through the Medicare Part D pharmaceutical program.
Read more on CNC →Hormel Foods is a protein-focused branded food company. Its brands include its namesake Hormel, Spam, Jennie-O, Dinty Moore, Applegate, Wholly Guacamole, and Skippy. The vast majority of the company's revenue is U.S.-based: 64% U.S. retail, 28% U.S. food service, and 8% international. By product type, in fiscal 2021, 23% of revenue was shelf-stable foods, 18% was poultry (branded and commodity), 55% was other perishable food, and 3% was other, primarily nutritional products. The company holds the number-one market position in shelf-stable meat, shelf-stable ready meals, pepperoni, natural/organic deli meat, and guacamole and the number-two position in turkey, bacon, chilled ready meals, and peanut butter.
Read more on HRL →