COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
ALHC vs CNC
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. ALHC scored 63.4, CNC scored 57.6 — ALHC leads.
Compare another set
ALHC
Alignment Healthcare, Inc.
63.4
$13.16 · $2.7B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
5.8
ALHC leads
CNC
Centene Corporation
57.6
$65.02 · $32.1B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthALHC+46.1%
- Strongest balance sheetCNC0.71
- Highest qualityALHC46 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueCNC-77%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
ALHC
stronger →← stronger
CNC
46
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
27
96
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
86
58
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
82
ALHC is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
ALHC
CNC
$178mC
FCF
$9.0bB+
+46.1%A
Rev
+19.4%B+
1.25C
D/E
0.71C+
69.3xD
P/E
—
1.31B
PEG
0.88B+
—
P/S
0.2xA
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
ALHC
CNC
28% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
77% below
~7%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
decline
+5%
1-yr DCF upside
+300%
+38%
5-yr DCF upside
+330%
+105%
10-yr DCF upside
+377%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
ALHC
Why this score
- Diluting shareholders
CNC
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
ALHCAlignment Healthcare, Inc.
Why now
Healthcare Plans · market cap $2.7b. Down 48% from 52-week high of $25.12 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +46% — in hypergrowth territory. 13 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $24.08 (implying +83% upside).
Moat
ROE 20% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income — non-cash charges (depreciation, intangible amortization) are holding down GAAP earnings while cash generation stays strong.
Risk
Trailing P/E 69.3x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. Down 48% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Net margin 0.9% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
CNCCentene Corporation
Why now
Healthcare Plans · market cap $32.1b. 6% off the 52-week high of $69.36. Revenue growing +19%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.88 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 18 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $71.67 (implying +10% upside).
Moat
Turnaround / out-of-favor name — GAAP-unprofitable for now, so the durability case is forward-looking: it rests on a recovery (margin normalization, a cyclical upturn or restructuring) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than on current reported results.
Risk
Currently unprofitable (margin -2.8%) — path to GAAP profitability is the core thesis risk. ROE -20% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where ALHC and CNC diverge
On the headline score the gap is 5.8 points in favor of ALHC. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- ValueALHC 57.8 · CNC 81.9CNC +24.1
- QualityALHC 45.6 · CNC 27.1ALHC +18.5
- GrowthALHC 96.5 · CNC 86.0ALHC +10.5
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.