Sifting through countless of stocks in the Health Care Providers & Services industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Centene Corporation, Henry Schein or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Centene Corporation, Henry Schein and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Centene Corporation, Henry Schein and Inc.

Centene Corporation operates as a managed care company that provides programs and services to under-insured families, and commercial organizations in the United States. It operates through four segments: Medicaid, Medicare, Commercial, and Other. The Medicaid segment offers the temporary assistance for needy families; medicaid expansion; aged, blind, or disabled; and children's health insurance programs, as well as long-term services and supports; foster care; and medicare-medicaid plans. This segment also provides healthcare products and services. The Medicare segment offers special needs and medicare supplement, and prescription drug plans. The Commercial segment provides health insurance marketplace product for individual and commercial group. The Other segment operates clinical healthcare and pharmacies, as well as offers vision and dental, behavioral health, and centralized services. It provides services through primary and specialty care physicians, hospitals, behavioral health practitioners, and ancillary providers. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Henry Schein, Inc. provides health care products and services to office-based dental and medical practitioners worldwide. It operates through Global Distribution and Value-Added Services; Global Specialty Products; and Global Technology segments. The Global Distribution and Value-Added Services segment distributes infection-control products, handpieces, preventatives, impression materials, composites, anesthetics, teeth, gypsum, acrylics, articulators, abrasives, PPE products, branded and generic pharmaceuticals, vaccines, surgical products, diagnostic tests, dental chairs, delivery units and lights, digital dental laboratories, X-ray supplies and equipment, and high-tech and digital restoration equipment, as well as provides equipment repair services, financial services on a non-recourse basis, continuing education services for practitioners, consulting, and other services. It also markets and sells a portfolio of consumable merchandise under its own corporate brand. The Global Specialty Products segment engage in manufacturing, marketing, and sales of dental implant and biomaterial products; and endodontic, orthodontic and orthopedic products, and other health care-related products and services. The Global Technology segment is involved in the development and distribution of practice management software, e-services, and other products which are distributed to health care providers. The company serves dental practices, laboratories, physician practices, and ambulatory surgery centers, as well as government, institutional health care clinics, home health providers, and other alternate care clinics. It has a strategic partnership with GoTu Technology to help dental practices address ongoing staffing challenges. Henry Schein, Inc. was founded in 1932 and is headquartered in Melville, New York.

Latest Health Care Providers & Services and Centene Corporation, Henry Schein, Inc. Stock News

As of July 30, 2026, Centene Corporation had a $30.1 billion market capitalization, compared to the Health Care Providers & Services median of $1.9 million. Centene Corporation’s stock is up 51.2% in 2026, down 1.9% in the previous five trading days and up 138.31% in the past year.

Currently, Centene Corporation does not have a price-earnings ratio. Centene Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $180.3 billion with a -2.8% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 4.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.596 per share for the current fiscal year. Centene Corporation does not currently pay a dividend.

As of July 30, 2026, Henry Schein, Inc. had a $9.7 billion market cap, putting it in the 77th percentile of all stocks. Henry Schein, Inc.’s stock is up 13.5% in 2026, up 0.3% in the previous five trading days and up 21.57% in the past year.

Currently, Henry Schein, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 25.8. Henry Schein, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $13.4 billion with a 3.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 6.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.344 per share for the current fiscal year. Henry Schein, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Centene Corporation, Henry Schein and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Centene Corporation, Henry Schein and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Centene Corporation, Henry Schein and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Centene Corporation	CNC	A
Henry Schein, Inc.	HSIC	B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Centene Corporation has a Growth Score of 89, which is Very Strong. Henry Schein, Inc. has a Growth Score of 73, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Centene Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Centene Corporation has a more attractive growth grade than Henry Schein, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Centene Corporation could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Centene Corporation, Henry Schein and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Centene Corporation	CNC	B
Henry Schein, Inc.	HSIC	B

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Centene Corporation has a Quality Score of 73, which is Strong. Henry Schein, Inc. has a Quality Score of 80, which is Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both Centene Corporation, Henry Schein and Inc. have a grade of B. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

Centene Corporation, Henry Schein and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Centene Corporation	CNC	A
Henry Schein, Inc.	HSIC	C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Centene Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 85, which is Very Positive. Henry Schein, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 52, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Centene Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Centene Corporation has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Henry Schein, Inc.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Centene Corporation could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Centene Corporation, Henry Schein and Inc. Grades

In addition to Quality, Estimate Revisions and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Centene Corporation, Henry Schein and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Centene Corporation, Henry Schein or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Centene Corporation stock has a Growth Score of 89, Estimate Revisions Score of 85 and Quality Score of 73.

Henry Schein, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 73, Estimate Revisions Score of 52 and Quality Score of 80.

Comparing Centene Corporation, Henry Schein and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.