CNC options flow: unusual options activity in Centene Corp.
Updated 28 September 2026, 09:54 ET
Over the last week the tape recorded 14 unusual options prints in Centene Corp. (CNC), $573K of tracked premium, close to even between bullish and bearish premium. Bullish premium was $301K against $245K bearish; $328K went into calls and $245K into puts, a put call ratio of 0.74. The largest print was $84K of CNC 15 Jan 2027 $70 calls on 25 September 2026, executed at ask. The last session with prints, 25 September 2026, added 7 prints and $276K of premium. CNC closed at $61.82 on 25 September 2026, down 0.2%.
This week's unusual flow
Prints from 21 September 2026 to 25 September 2026, 5 sessions. Delayed tier: every print is shown twenty minutes after it executed, and the page is rebuilt after each session.
Net premium is bullish minus bearish premium. The put call ratio is put premium divided by call premium, weighted by money rather than by contract count. Sweeps is the share of prints executed across several exchanges at once. Read the guide: Reading the Pulse.
Largest prints of the week
| Date | Contract | Type | Size | Open int. | Premium | Execution | Sentiment | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 2026 | CNC 15 Jan 2027 $70 calls | Trade | 250 | 1,642 | $84K | At ask | Bullish | |
| 23 Sep 2026 | CNC 18 Dec 2026 $65 puts | Sweep | 107 | 404 | $67K | At ask | Bearish | Notable |
| 23 Sep 2026 | CNC 15 Jan 2027 $50 calls | Trade | 40 | 4,838 | $58K | At bid | Bearish | |
| 21 Sep 2026 | CNC 15 Jan 2027 $57.50 puts | Sweep | 179 | 662 | $50K | At bid | Bullish | Notable |
| 25 Sep 2026 | CNC 15 Jan 2027 $42.50 calls | Trade | 20 | 2,485 | $43K | At ask | Bullish | |
| 25 Sep 2026 | CNC 15 Jan 2027 $80 puts | Sweep | 20 | 20 | $36K | At bid | Bullish | Notable |
| 23 Sep 2026 | CNC 21 Jan 2028 $32.50 calls | Sweep | 10 | 63 | $33K | At bid | Bearish | |
| 22 Sep 2026 | CNC 16 Oct 2026 $56 puts | Sweep | 710 | 0 | $32K | At bid | Bullish | High conviction |
| 25 Sep 2026 | CNC 18 Dec 2026 $60 puts | Sweep | 84 | 1,009 | $31K | At ask | Bearish | Notable |
| 24 Sep 2026 | CNC 18 Dec 2026 $67.50 calls | Trade | 84 | 96 | $30K | At ask | Bullish | |
| 25 Sep 2026 | CNC 17 Jun 2027 $70 puts | Trade | 24 | 175 | $29K | At ask | Bearish | |
| 25 Sep 2026 | CNC 18 Dec 2026 $72.50 calls | Trade | 118 | 239 | $27K | At bid | Neutral |
Size above open interest means the trade opened a position larger than everything that existed in the contract the night before. Above ask and below bid are the most aggressive executions. Read the guide: Size versus open interest.
Where the money is aimed
| Expiry | Prints | Premium | Calls share | Net premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jan 2027 | 6 | $297K | 71% | +$181K |
| 18 Dec 2026 | 4 | $155K | 37% | -$68K |
| 21 Jan 2028 | 1 | $33K | 100% | -$33K |
| 16 Oct 2026 | 1 | $32K | 0% | +$32K |
| 17 Jun 2027 | 1 | $29K | 0% | -$29K |
| 20 Nov 2026 | 1 | $27K | 100% | -$27K |
The most premium, $297K, is aimed at the 15 Jan 2027 expiry; the nearest expiry with unusual prints is 16 Oct 2026.
A print in a contract expiring this week is a view about the next few days, often about a known event; a print months out is a different kind of statement. Read the guide: 0DTE options flow.
The last session, 25 September 2026
| Date | Contract | Type | Size | Open int. | Premium | Execution | Sentiment | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 2026 | CNC 15 Jan 2027 $70 calls | Trade | 250 | 1,642 | $84K | At ask | Bullish | |
| 25 Sep 2026 | CNC 15 Jan 2027 $42.50 calls | Trade | 20 | 2,485 | $43K | At ask | Bullish | |
| 25 Sep 2026 | CNC 15 Jan 2027 $80 puts | Sweep | 20 | 20 | $36K | At bid | Bullish | Notable |
| 25 Sep 2026 | CNC 18 Dec 2026 $60 puts | Sweep | 84 | 1,009 | $31K | At ask | Bearish | Notable |
| 25 Sep 2026 | CNC 17 Jun 2027 $70 puts | Trade | 24 | 175 | $29K | At ask | Bearish |
Every print in CNC with its full detail, the live tape, one tap filters and saved screeners: open CNC in Options Sentiment Screener.
Price
The live quote and the price chart sit beside the ticker's flow in the app: open CNC in Options Sentiment Screener.
Analysts
The most recent analyst targets on file, from 17 firms, have a median of $69, 11.6% above the last close. The last 90 days brought 1 upgrade.
Calls bought at a strike above the average target are a bet that the analysts are too cautious; puts far below the price in a name they like are protection or a strong disagreement. Read the guide: Reading one ticker's flow.
About Centene Corp.
- Exchange
- NYSE
- Sector
- Health Care
- Industry
- Insurance
- Headquarters
- Wilmington, Missouri
- Website
- centene.com
Centene Corporation provides programs and services to under-insured and uninsured individuals in the United States. Its Managed Care segment offers health plan coverage to individuals through government subsidized programs, including Medicaid, the State children's health insurance program, long-term services and support, foster care, and medicare-medicaid plans. This segment also offers various individual, small group, and large group commercial healthcare products to employers and directly to members.
In the same sector
Flow pages for other Health Care names in the S&P 500:
LLY Eli Lilly & Co.JNJ Johnson & JohnsonABBV AbbVie Inc.MRK Merck & Co. Inc.UNH UnitedHealth Group Inc.TMO Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.AMGN Amgen Inc.GILD Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Learn
- What unusual options activity means
- Reading one ticker's flow
- Sweeps, blocks and where a trade printed
- Size versus open interest
- Bullish or bearish, how a print's sentiment is inferred
- The conviction score and whale prints
The live tape for CNC with every print's execution detail, one tap filters for calls, puts, sweeps and 0DTE, saved screeners and, for Realtime subscribers, push alerts and no delay. The same screen is in the iOS and Android apps.
Open CNC in Options Sentiment Screener