COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
CI vs CNC
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CI scored 76.9, CNC scored 57.6 — CI leads.
Compare another set
CI
The Cigna Group
76.9
$277.51 · $73.3B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
19.3
CI 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 growthCNC+19.4%
- Strongest balance sheetCNC0.71
- Highest qualityCI60 / 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)
CI
stronger →← stronger
CNC
60
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
27
85
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
86
89
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
82
CI is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CI
CNC
$9.1bB+
FCF
$9.0bB+
+11.3%B
Rev
+19.4%B+
0.74C+
D/E
0.71C+
11.5xA
P/E
—
0.83B+
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
CI
CNC
53% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
77% below
~-11%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
decline
+95%
1-yr DCF upside
+300%
+112%
5-yr DCF upside
+330%
+140%
10-yr DCF upside
+377%
These two disagree on this pair: the Value pillar ranks cheapness against sector peers, while price-vs-fair-value is an absolute read. A name can be the better value in its sector and still the dearer one on cash flows.
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
CI
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
CNC
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
CIThe Cigna Group
Why now
Healthcare Plans · market cap $73.3b. 12% off the 52-week high of $315.47. Revenue growing +11%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.83 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 24 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $341.42 (implying +23% upside).
Moat
ROE 17% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 142% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined. $73.3b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Net margin 2.3% 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 CI and CNC diverge
On the headline score the gap is 19.3 points in favor of CI. The widest single difference is Quality, where CI leads by 33.0 points.
- QualityCI 60.1 · CNC 27.1CI +33.0
- ValueCI 88.6 · CNC 81.9CI +6.7
- GrowthCI 85.2 · CNC 86.0level
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.