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CENTENE CORPORATION COMPLETES DIVESTITURE OF CIRCLE HEALTH GROUP

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Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) completes divestiture of Circle Health Group to Pure Health, positioning Circle Health for continued success under new ownership.
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The divestiture of Circle Health by Centene Corporation represents a strategic realignment of the company's assets, potentially affecting Centene's financial structure and capital allocation. The sale of a large asset like Circle Health could result in a significant influx of cash, which may be used to pay down debt, invest in core operations, or repurchase shares. Investors should monitor how the proceeds are utilized, as this will influence the company's leverage ratios and return on equity. It's also noteworthy that Centene's decision to divest indicates a sharpened focus on their core operations, which could lead to improved operational efficiencies and profitability in their primary market.

Centene's divestiture of Circle Health to Pure Health underscores a trend where healthcare companies are optimizing their portfolios for geographic focus and operational synergies. This move could signal Centene's intention to concentrate on markets where it holds a competitive advantage or sees greater growth potential. For stakeholders, the impact on Centene's market presence in the U.K. is an area to watch. The sale might result in short-term revenue loss; however, it could also allow Centene to enhance its position in other markets. Furthermore, the healthcare sector often sees shifts in market dynamics due to regulatory changes, making Centene's strategic pivot potentially beneficial in the long term.

The transaction between Centene and Pure Health involves two significant entities in their respective regions. Circle Health's acquisition by a Middle Eastern healthcare network may indicate a broader trend of cross-regional consolidation within the healthcare industry. Stakeholders should consider the competitive landscape post-transaction, as Centene could leverage this opportunity to streamline operations and potentially improve margins by divesting non-core assets. The deal may also reflect Centene's response to the evolving global healthcare environment, where regional specialization and focus are becoming increasingly important. Analyzing the strategic fit of such divestitures can reveal insights into Centene's future direction and its adaptability to global healthcare trends.

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) today announced today it has completed the previously announced divestiture of Circle Health Group ("Circle Health"), one of the U.K.'s largest independent operators of hospitals, to Pure Health, the largest integrated healthcare network in the Middle East.

"Circle Health is well-positioned to continue delivering clinical excellence and driving market impact under Pure Health ownership," said Centene's Chief Executive Officer, Sarah London.

"The close of the transaction reflects Centene's steadfast focus on and commitment to our core business operations as we continue to execute against our long-term strategy."

Centene invested in Circle Health in 2019 and acquired the remaining equity interests in the company in July 2021.

About Centene Corporation

Centene Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading healthcare enterprise that is committed to helping people live healthier lives. The Company takes a local approach – with local brands and local teams – to provide fully integrated, high-quality and cost-effective services to government-sponsored and commercial healthcare programs, focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. Centene offers affordable and high-quality products to nearly 1 in 15 individuals across the nation, including Medicaid and Medicare members (including Medicare Prescription Drug Plans) as well as individuals and families served by the Health Insurance Marketplace and the TRICARE program. The Company also contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to provide a variety of specialty services focused on treating the whole person. Centene focuses on long-term growth and value creation as well as the development of its people, systems and capabilities so that it can better serve its members, providers, local communities and government partners.

Centene uses its investor relations website to publish important information about the Company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. Financial and other information about Centene is routinely posted and is accessible on Centene's investor relations website, http://investors.centene.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
All statements, other than statements of current or historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, forward-looking statements often use words such as "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "seek," "target," "goal," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "can," "continue" and other similar words or expressions (and the negative thereof). Centene (the Company, our, or we) intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we are including this statement for purposes of complying with these safe-harbor provisions. In particular, these statements include, without limitation, statements about Circle Health's and our future operating or financial performance, market opportunity, value creation strategy, competition, expected activities in connection with completed and future acquisitions and dispositions, our investments, and the adequacy of our available cash resources. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on numerous assumptions and assessments made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, business strategies, operating environments, future developments, and other factors we believe appropriate. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are subject to change because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future, including economic, regulatory, competitive, and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on information available to us on the date hereof. Except as may be otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, after the date hereof. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, as actual results may differ materially from projections, estimates, or other forward-looking statements due to a variety of important factors, variables, and events including, but not limited to: our ability to design and price products that are competitive and/or actuarially sound including but not limited to any impacts resulting from Medicaid redeterminations; our ability to maintain or achieve improvement in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Star ratings and maintain or achieve improvement in other quality scores in each case that can impact revenue and future growth; our ability to accurately predict and effectively manage health benefits and other operating expenses and reserves, including fluctuations in medical utilization rates; competition, including our ability to reprocure our contracts and grow organically; the timing and extent of benefits from our value creation strategy, including the possibility that the benefits received may be lower than expected, may not occur, or will not be realized within the expected time periods; our ability to manage our information systems effectively; disruption, unexpected costs, or similar risks from business transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, and changes in our relationships with third parties; impairments to real estate, investments, goodwill, and intangible assets; changes in senior management, loss of one or more key personnel or an inability to attract, hire, integrate and retain skilled personnel; membership and revenue declines or unexpected trends; rate cuts or other payment reductions or delays by governmental payors and other risks and uncertainties affecting our government businesses; changes in healthcare practices, new technologies, and advances in medicine; increased healthcare costs; inflation; changes in economic, political, or market conditions; changes in federal or state laws or regulations, including changes with respect to income tax reform or government healthcare programs as well as changes with respect to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act (collectively referred to as the ACA) and any regulations enacted thereunder; tax matters; disasters or major epidemics; changes in expected contract start dates; changes in provider, state, federal, foreign, and other contracts and delays in the timing of regulatory approval of contracts, including due to protests; the expiration, suspension, or termination of our contracts with federal or state governments (including, but not limited to, Medicaid, Medicare, TRICARE, or other customers); the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of legal or regulatory proceedings or matters, including, but not limited to, our ability to resolve claims and/or allegations made by states with regard to past practices, including at Centene Pharmacy Services (formerly Envolve Pharmacy Solutions, Inc. (Envolve)), as our pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) subsidiary, within the reserve estimate we previously recorded and on other acceptable terms, or at all, or whether additional claims, reviews or investigations will be brought by states, the federal government or shareholder litigants, or government investigations; challenges to our contract awards; cyber-attacks or other privacy or data security incidents; the exertion of management's time and our resources, and other expenses incurred and business changes required in connection with complying with the terms of our contracts and the undertakings in connection with any regulatory, governmental or third party consents or approvals for acquisitions or dispositions; any changes in expected closing dates, estimated purchase price, or accretion for acquisitions or dispositions; restrictions and limitations in connection with our indebtedness; a downgrade of the credit rating of our indebtedness; the availability of debt and equity financing on terms that are favorable to us; foreign currency fluctuations; and risks and uncertainties discussed in the reports that Centene has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This list of important factors is not intended to be exhaustive. We discuss certain of these matters more fully, as well as certain other factors that may affect our business operations, financial condition, and results of operations, in our filings with the SEC, including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Due to these important factors and risks, we cannot give assurances with respect to our future performance, including without limitation our ability to maintain adequate premium levels or our ability to control our future medical and selling, general and administrative costs.

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SOURCE Centene Corporation

FAQ

What did Centene Corporation announce today?

Centene Corporation announced the completion of the divestiture of Circle Health Group to Pure Health.

What is the ticker symbol for Centene Corporation?

The ticker symbol for Centene Corporation is CNC.

Who acquired Circle Health Group?

Pure Health, the largest integrated healthcare network in the Middle East, acquired Circle Health Group.

When did Centene Corporation invest in Circle Health?

Centene Corporation invested in Circle Health in 2019 and acquired the remaining equity interests in the company in July 2021.

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