Centene Corp vs Tidewater Inc — how do they compare? Centene Corp trades at $67.02 (market cap $33.93B), while Tidewater Inc trades at $72.88 (market cap $3.68B). The key difference: Centene Corp is far larger — about 9.2× Tidewater Inc's market cap, and Centene Corp is trading nearer its 52-week high, Tidewater Inc nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CNC | TDW | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $33.93B | $3.68B |
Sector | Health | Utilities |
52-Week High | $68.72 | $91.12 |
52-Week Low | $25.21 | $46.32 |
Enterprise Value | $26.56B | $3.78B |
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.
Tidewater (TDW) trades at $74.35, up 1.34% today, with a bullish technical outlook driven by moving averages and ADX signals. Recent earnings show volatility with Q1 2026 missing estimates at $0.12 versus $0.75 expected, though Q3 2025 beat expectations. The company maintains strong profitability with a 22.16% net margin and robust cash flow from operations of $379.11M in 2025. News highlights include FTAI Infrastructure's acquisition of Tidewater Logistics in June 2026, potentially impacting operations.
The stock presents a mixed outlook; valuation metrics like a P/E of 12.47 suggest potential undervaluation, but earnings misses and a 'Hold' analyst consensus (61.54% hold ratings) indicate caution. Key risks include execution challenges in offshore support services and oil market volatility. Upside hinges on reversing recent earnings underperformance and capitalizing on industry acquisitions.
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 →Tidewater is the leading global provider of offshore support vessels (OSVs) to the energy industry. With the world's largest fleet of platform supply vessels (PSVs) and anchor handling tugs (AHTS), it provides critical logistics and marine support for offshore oil, gas, and renewable energy projects. Following a period of massive strategic consolidation, Tidewater is now focused on maximizing day rates and free cash flow in a supply-constrained market, positioning itself as a primary beneficiary of the multi-year offshore upcycle.
Read more on TDW →