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Compare Stocks › CNC vs GOOGL

Centene Corporation (CNC) vs Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-06-19, CNC is undervalued at $61, with a DCF intrinsic value of $892 and a margin of safety of 93%. GOOGL is overvalued at $368, with an intrinsic value of $94 and a margin of safety of -290%. Of the two, CNC has the wider margin of safety.

CNC
Centene Corporation
$61.02
VS
GOOGL
Alphabet Inc.
$368.03

Rewards

CNC
  • ★Share count has been reduced by 11% over the past 4 years through buybacks, increasing each share's claim on earnings.
  • ★FCF yield of 22.7% is historically attractive — the business generates significant cash relative to its price.
  • ★Net debt/EBITDA of -2.5x means the company holds more cash than debt — a net cash position.
GOOGL
  • ★Alphabet Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★Gross margin of 60.4% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Alphabet Inc. scores 89/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.

Risks

CNC
  • ⚠ROIC has declined by 5.5 percentage points over the past 4 years, which may signal competitive erosion.
  • ⚠Gross margin of 10.6% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
  • ⚠Insiders have sold $5.2M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
GOOGL
  • ⚠FCF yield of 1.6% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.

Key Valuation Metrics

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CNC
GOOGL
Valuation
$6.85B
Free Cash Flow
$73.27B
22.73%
FCF Yield
1.63%
N/A
Trailing P/E
28.09
13.70
Forward P/E
25.39
Quality & Moat
18.84%
ROIC
20.98%
-26.04%
ROE
38.88%
10.56%
Gross Margin
60.37%
1.18
PEG Ratio
1.47
Balance Sheet Safety
Net cash
Net Debt / Equity
Net cash
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
-2.54
Net Debt / EBITDA
-0.19
0.00%
Dividend Yield
0.24%
CNC: 5Ties: 1GOOGL: 5
CNCGOOGL

Historical Fundamentals

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CNC

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

GOOGL

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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CNC
N/A
Net losses over 3 years — test not applicable
Company had negative cumulative retained earnings
Σ Retained
$-667.0M
Δ Market Cap
$-24.93B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
GOOGL
$9.18
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$288.67B
Δ Market Cap
+$2.65T
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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CNC
93.2% Margin of Safety
Price is 93.2% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $61.02
Fair Value: $891.91
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
GOOGL
289.6% Overvalued
Price is 289.6% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $368.03
Fair Value: $94.46
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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CNC

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $61?

-18.9%
Market-Implied FCF Growth Rate

Market below historical growth — potential opportunity.

GOOGL

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $368?

+22.9%
Market-Implied FCF Growth Rate

Market pricing in significantly higher growth than history — aggressive.

Economic Moat Score

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CNC
41/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with reinvestment efficiency as the key competitive advantage. Improving margin stability would strengthen the moat.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
GOOGL
89/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by roic consistency. Reinvestment Efficiency is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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CNC
-2.01
Possible Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
GOOGL
-2.92
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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CNC
Insiders 0.4%Institutions 100.6%
No. of Institutional Holders1,248
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
GOOGL
Insiders 1.2%Institutions 80.8%Retail & Other 18.1%
No. of Institutional Holders7,263
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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CNC
0
Buys (3M)
2
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $738,945
LONDON SARAH M.
Chief Executive Officer
$490,365
@ $25.50 · 2025-08-08
SAMUELS THEODORE R II
Director
$248,580
@ $27.62 · 2025-07-28
GRECO THOMAS R
Director
$1.02M
@ $59.75 · 2024-12-18
DALLAS HIRAM JAMES
Director
$99,904
@ $59.01 · 2024-12-16
BLUME JESSICA L
Director
$14,870
@ $59.48 · 2024-12-16
COUGHLIN CHRISTOPHER J
Director
$594,400
@ $59.44 · 2024-12-16
SAMUELS THEODORE R II
Director
$294,300
@ $58.86 · 2024-12-13
ASHER ANDREW LYNN
Chief Financial Officer
$1.00M
@ $58.14 · 2024-11-13
LONDON SARAH M.
Chief Executive Officer
$250,314
@ $60.80 · 2024-11-08
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
GOOGL
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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CNC
1
Sells (3M)
2
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $7.74M
BURDICK KENNETH A
Director
$5.16M
@ $64.55 · 2026-06-10
BURDICK KENNETH A
Director
$2.58M
@ $39.02 · 2025-12-04
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
GOOGL
0
Sells (3M)
0
Sells (12M)
No open market insider sales found.
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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CNC
FearGreed
😐Neutral(59/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
GOOGL
FearGreed
😐Neutral(58/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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CNC
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (59)
GOOGL
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (58)
View CNC Full AnalysisView GOOGL Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: CNC vs GOOGL

Is Centene Corporation or Alphabet Inc. more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, CNC trades at a 93.2% margin of safety (intrinsic value $892 vs. price $61), compared to GOOGL's -289.6% margin of safety (intrinsic $94 vs. $368).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, Centene Corporation or Alphabet Inc.?▼

GOOGL scores 89/100 (Wide moat), while CNC scores 41/100 (Narrow moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is Alphabet Inc. in financial distress?▼

GOOGL's Altman Z-Score of 2.4 places it in the Grey zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. CNC scores 3.0 (Grey zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which company has better free cash flow, Centene Corporation or Alphabet Inc.?▼

Centene Corporation (CNC) generates a 22.7% free cash flow yield, compared to Alphabet Inc.'s 1.6%. A higher FCF yield means the business converts more of its market value into cash that can be returned to shareholders or reinvested.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Centene Corporation or Alphabet Inc.?▼

GOOGL earns 21.0% ROIC versus CNC's 18.8%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.