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Cigna Corp (CI)
NYSE:CI

Cigna (CI) AI Stock Analysis

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CI

Cigna

(NYSE:CI)

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Outperform 76 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:76Outperform
Price Target:
$329.00
▲(15.87% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:03/03/26
The score is driven primarily by solid fundamentals and cash generation, supported by an attractive valuation (low-teens P/E plus dividend). Technicals are constructive with positive momentum. Offsetting factors include margin/medical cost pressure and near-term cash flow headwinds tied to the PBM transition, alongside execution considerations during the CEO handover.
Positive Factors
Consistent free cash flow generation
Cigna’s consistently strong free cash flow that tracks close to reported earnings provides durable funding for dividends, buybacks, and strategic investments. This cash-generation capacity supports capital returns and balance sheet flexibility through cyclical troughs and transformational investments over multiple years.
Revenue scaling and specialty growth
Specialty pharmacy and care services have meaningfully scaled, raising the share of income from higher-growth, differentiated offerings. A larger specialty platform diversifies revenue, supports higher-margin streams, and underpins multi-year organic growth as chronic and specialty drug demand continues to expand.
Regulatory clarity from FTC settlement and PBM reform
The FTC settlement and Cigna’s shift to a rebate-free, fee-based PBM model reduce regulatory and litigation uncertainty and align the company with emerging industry structure. This structural clarity aids long-term client relationships, product positioning and predictable operating models across years.
Negative Factors
Elevated medical cost trends (MCR)
Management’s guidance of a materially higher medical care ratio reflects persistent cost pressures that compress underwriting margins. Sustained elevated MCRs reduce operating earnings leverage, constrain margin recovery even amid revenue growth, and require sustained pricing or utilization improvements to restore prior profitability levels.
PBM transition cash-flow and execution risk
Transitioning to a rebate-free PBM model demands significant near-term investment and reduces PBM cash contribution, pressuring operating cash flow. The multi-year adoption timeline creates execution risk: slower client migration or implementation issues could depress earnings and cash conversion over the 2–4 year transition window.
Margin compression and below-peak ROE
Although scale and revenue have grown, margins and ROE have not returned to prior-cycle peaks, implying less efficient capital use. Structural cost trends and mix shifts toward admin/fee models may limit future ROE recovery, making sustained high returns on invested capital harder without material margin improvement.

Cigna (CI) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Cigna Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionThe Cigna Group provides insurance and related products and services in the United States. Its Evernorth segment provides a range of coordinated and point solution health services, including pharmacy, benefits management, care delivery and management, and intelligence solutions to health plans, employers, government organizations, and health care providers. The company's Cigna Healthcare segment offers medical, pharmacy, behavioral health, dental, vision, health advocacy programs, and other products and services for insured and self-insured customers; Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, and Medicare Part D plans for seniors, as well as individual health insurance plans to on and off the public exchanges; and health care coverage in its international markets, as well as health care benefits for mobile individuals and employees of multinational organizations. The company also offers permanent insurance contracts sold to corporations to provide coverage on the lives of certain employees for financing employer-paid future benefit obligations. It distributes its products and services through insurance brokers and consultants; directly to employers, unions and other groups, or individuals; and private and public exchanges. The company was founded in 1792 and is headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
How the Company Makes MoneyCigna generates revenue primarily through premiums collected from its health insurance policies, which include individual, employer-sponsored, and government health plans. The company also earns revenue from its pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services, where it manages prescription drug benefits for clients and receives fees for its services. Additional revenue streams include administrative fees from self-insured clients, provider payments, and specialty services such as dental and disability insurance. Strategic partnerships with healthcare providers, technology companies, and pharmaceutical manufacturers further support Cigna's revenue growth by enhancing their service offerings and expanding their market reach.

Cigna Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
External Customers Revenue by Type
External Customers Revenue by Type
Shows revenue generated from different types of external customers, highlighting which customer segments are most lucrative and where there may be opportunities for growth or diversification.
Chart InsightsCigna's pharmacy revenue has surged significantly, with a notable increase from 2023 to 2025, driven by Evernorth's strong performance and strategic initiatives like new AI solutions and multiyear contracts. Despite pressures from elevated medical costs, the company's focus on innovation and partnerships, such as with Prime Therapeutics, supports this growth trajectory. Meanwhile, total premiums and fees show variability, reflecting challenges in the individual exchange business. Overall, Cigna's strategic focus on Evernorth and innovation appears to be paying off, despite some headwinds in healthcare costs.
Data provided by:The Fly

Cigna Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Feb 05, 2026
(Q4-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:May 01, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
Overall the call emphasized strong top-line and EPS growth in 2025, robust specialty and EverNorth performance, strategic clarity from the FTC settlement and PBM reform, and continued capital returns. Management acknowledged near-term charges, planned investments for the new rebate-free PBM model that will pressure cash flow and require execution, and elevated medical cost trends that influence MCR guidance. On balance, the positives (sustained revenue and earnings growth, specialty momentum, capital returns, regulatory clarity and a customer-oriented PBM model) outweigh the transitional and cost-related headwinds.
Q4-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Full-Year Revenue and EPS Growth
Consolidated full-year adjusted revenues of $275 billion, an 11% increase year-over-year, and full-year adjusted earnings per share of $29.84, a 9% increase versus prior year.
Strong EverNorth Performance
EverNorth Q4 revenues of $63.1 billion with pretax adjusted earnings of $2.2 billion; specialty and care services revenue of $26.7 billion, up 14% year-over-year, contributing $1.0 billion in adjusted earnings; pharmacy benefit services revenue of $36.3 billion and $1.2 billion in adjusted earnings.
Specialty Script and Platform Growth
Specialty pharmacy scripts grew ~13% year-over-year in 2025; specialty and care platforms now represent ~35% of company income (up from ~25% three years ago), with long-term expected AOI growth of 8%–12%.
PBM Transformation and Regulatory Resolution
Announced and advancing a rebate-free, fee-based pharmacy benefit model aligned with recent PBM reform and the FTC settlement; Cigna highlighted that its new model positions it to deliver the settlement commitments and expects the Cigna Healthcare fully insured book to adopt the model on 1/1/2027 and at least 50% of EverNorth to adopt by year-end 2028.
FTC Settlement Benefits for Customers
Global FTC settlement resolves pharmacy benefits matters and is expected to deliver approximately $7 billion in out-of-pocket cost relief over the next ten years for the ~100 million customers and patients served by the company.
Customer Experience and Retention
Customer net promoter scores improved year-over-year across largest businesses; prior authorization volume reduced by 15%; pharmacy benefit services retention rate over 97% for 2026 renewals; select segment customers grew ~7%.
Capital Deployment and Balance Sheet Progress
Returned over $5 billion to shareholders in 2025 (repurchased 11.9 million shares for ~$3.6 billion and $1.6 billion in dividends); generated $9.6 billion of operating cash flow in 2025; improved debt-to-capitalization to 43% (190 bps improvement in Q4).
2026 Financial Outlook
Guidance for 2026: consolidated adjusted revenues of ~ $280 billion and adjusted EPS of at least $30.25 (implying modest year-over-year EPS growth); segment guidance includes EverNorth adjusted earnings of at least $6.9 billion and Cigna Healthcare adjusted earnings of at least $4.5 billion.
Negative Updates
Quarterly Special Item Charges
Recorded after-tax special item charges in Q4 of $483 million, or $1.82 per share, which reduced reported results for the quarter.
Elevated Medical Costs and MCR Pressure
Cigna Healthcare experienced modestly higher medical costs in Q4 (~60 basis points of MCR, ≈ $50 million). 2026 medical care ratio (MCR) outlook is elevated at 83.7%–84.7% (first quarter expected below 81%), reflecting an elevated cost-trend environment and prudence in pricing assumptions.
Near-Term Investment and Cash Flow Impact from PBM Transition
Investment spending to build the infrastructure for the rebate-free model will be back-half weighted in 2026; company expects 2026 operating cash flow of approximately $9.0 billion (down ~$600 million vs. 2025) driven by lower PBS contribution, large client renewals, and investment spending.
Potential Tax Impact from GPO Relocation
FTC-related requirement to move certain GPO capabilities from Switzerland to the U.S. could increase the enterprise effective tax rate by up to ~1% over time if unmitigated, per management commentary.
Membership Shifts and Prioritization of Margin
Total medical costs customers are expected to be ~18.1 million at year-end 2026 with growth in middle, select, and international markets offset by lower membership in national accounts and individual exchange; individual exchange membership expected to decline to fewer than 300,000 as the company prioritizes margin over growth.
Transitional Uncertainty and Adoption Risk for New PBM Model
While management expects comparable long-term margin profile, revenue/earnings mix will shift (toward admin fees and clinical program compensation) and adoption timing is uncertain—targeting broad adoption by 2028 but with potential execution and client-choice risks during the transition period.
Stop-Loss and Exchange One-Time Effects
Full-year MCR in 2025 benefited from several one-time items in the individual business; stop-loss products saw slightly higher MCR in 2025 vs. 2024, consistent with prior communications, which complicates year-over-year comparability.
Company Guidance
Cigna guided 2026 consolidated adjusted revenues of approximately $280 billion and consolidated adjusted earnings per share of at least $30.25 (Q1 slightly above 25% of the full year), with EverNorth adjusted earnings of at least $6.9 billion (Q1 >20% of EverNorth’s annual earnings) and Cigna Healthcare adjusted earnings of at least $4.5 billion (Q1 >30% of its annual earnings); Cigna expects Cigna Healthcare’s 2026 medical care ratio to be 83.7%–84.7% (Q1 <81%), roughly 18.1 million total medical cost customers at year‑end, an enterprise adjusted SG&A ratio of ~5%, a consolidated adjusted tax rate of ~19%, operating cash flow of about $9 billion, capital expenditures of ~$1.3 billion, shareholder dividends of ~$1.6 billion (quarterly dividend $1.56/share), weighted average shares of 261–265 million, and continued progress toward a ~40% debt‑to‑capital target (exiting 2025 at 43%, +190 bps improvement in Q4); the company also noted 2025 cash flow from operations of $9.6 billion, $3.6 billion of share repurchases (11.9M shares) and $1.6 billion of dividends.

Cigna Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Strong, consistent cash generation and improving 2025 performance support the score, with revenue scaling meaningfully. Offsetting factors are margin compression versus earlier years and ROE below prior-cycle peaks, though leverage appears manageable.
Income Statement
74
Positive
Revenue has scaled meaningfully over the last several years, with 2025 showing strong year-over-year growth versus a modest increase in 2024. Profitability remains positive but margins have trended down from earlier years (notably since 2020–2022), with 2025 net margin improving versus 2024 but still below 2022–2023 levels. Overall, the income statement reflects solid growth and earnings power, tempered by margin compression and some year-to-year variability in profits.
Balance Sheet
70
Positive
Leverage looks manageable, with debt running at roughly three-quarters of equity in 2025 and generally stable over time. Equity has held up and total assets have grown, supporting balance sheet scale. Returns on equity improved in 2025 versus 2024, but are below the stronger levels seen in 2020–2022, indicating somewhat less efficient profit generation on the current capital base.
Cash Flow
78
Positive
Cash generation is a clear strength: free cash flow is strong and consistently tracks close to reported earnings (roughly mid-to-high 80% of net income across the period). 2025 free cash flow growth rebounded nicely after a slight decline in 2024. A watch item is that operating cash flow relative to revenue is modest and has not consistently expanded, but absolute cash flow levels remain healthy and supportive.
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue274.95B247.12B195.26B180.52B174.07B
Gross Profit25.99B25.96B25.18B23.50B22.95B
EBITDA11.61B11.45B10.85B10.44B9.96B
Net Income5.96B3.43B5.16B6.70B5.37B
Balance Sheet
Total Assets157.92B155.88B152.76B143.88B154.89B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments7.68B8.21B8.75B6.83B6.00B
Total Debt31.46B31.97B30.93B31.55B34.27B
Total Liabilities116.05B114.64B106.41B98.98B107.70B
Stockholders Equity41.71B41.03B46.22B44.87B47.11B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow8.39B8.96B10.24B7.36B6.04B
Operating Cash Flow9.60B10.36B11.81B8.66B7.19B
Investing Cash Flow-4.41B-2.10B-5.17B3.10B-3.61B
Financing Cash Flow-6.42B-7.65B-4.29B-11.24B-8.21B

Cigna Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price283.93
Price Trends
50DMA
279.95
Positive
100DMA
279.24
Positive
200DMA
289.30
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
2.55
Positive
RSI
57.40
Neutral
STOCH
70.45
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For CI, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 283.93 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 285.82, above the 50-day MA of 279.95, and below the 200-day MA of 289.30, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 2.55 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 57.40 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 70.45 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for CI.

Cigna Risk Analysis

Cigna disclosed 28 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Cigna reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Cigna Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (51)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
76
Outperform
$76.65B13.0714.40%2.21%16.75%113.48%
64
Neutral
$64.90B12.6913.29%1.99%11.96%-11.11%
63
Neutral
$267.16B22.162.69%10.48%24.25%
55
Neutral
$103.89B57.442.35%3.41%6.71%-90.11%
51
Neutral
$7.86B-0.30-43.30%2.27%22.53%-2.21%
51
Neutral
$21.93B-3.27-28.79%14.92%-286.72%
47
Neutral
$22.59B19.386.98%1.38%9.87%-5.58%
* Healthcare Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
CI
Cigna
283.93
-18.71
-6.18%
CNC
Centene
43.82
-14.05
-24.28%
CVS
CVS Health
80.49
18.64
30.14%
HUM
Humana
181.58
-77.58
-29.94%
UNH
UnitedHealth
289.21
-173.99
-37.56%
ELV
Elevance Health
284.03
-105.70
-27.12%

Cigna Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board ChangesFinancial Disclosures
Cigna Announces CEO Succession and Leadership Transition Plan
Positive
Mar 3, 2026

On February 25, 2026, The Cigna Group’s board approved a leadership transition under which long-serving chief executive David M. Cordani will retire as CEO on July 1, 2026 and become executive chair, while president and COO Brian C. Evanko, a nearly 30-year company veteran with broad operational and financial experience, will be promoted to CEO and join the board. The board also reshaped its leadership and committee structure and set new compensation packages for both executives, while reaffirming its full-year 2026 outlook for consolidated adjusted income from operations of at least $30.25 per share, including at least $6.9 billion from Evernorth and $4.5 billion from Cigna Healthcare, signaling confidence that the strategic and financial trajectory can be maintained through the succession.

The CEO succession marks a planned handover after nearly 17 years of Cordani’s leadership, during which Cigna evolved into a much larger, more diversified health company that emphasizes innovation in data, technology and AI-enabled services. By keeping Cordani as executive chair and elevating Evanko—who already oversees the company’s core business portfolio—the board aims to ensure continuity in strategy and governance at a time of rapid change in the health care sector, providing investors and other stakeholders with a measure of stability around growth and earnings expectations for 2026 despite the management shift.

The most recent analyst rating on (CI) stock is a Buy with a $370.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Cigna stock, see the CI Stock Forecast page.

Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures
Cigna Reaffirms 2026 Adjusted Earnings Outlook to Investors
Positive
Feb 27, 2026

The Cigna Group said it will use upcoming meetings with investors and analysts to reaffirm its previously stated outlook for full-year 2026 consolidated adjusted income from operations of at least $30.25 per share. Management emphasized that this non-GAAP metric is its primary profitability measure, designed to strip out investment gains and losses, amortization of acquired intangibles, special items, and certain joint-venture results to better highlight underlying operating trends.

The company cautioned that it cannot reasonably reconcile this forward-looking adjusted income figure to GAAP shareholders’ net income because future investment results and special items are inherently unpredictable and could materially affect reported earnings. Cigna also reiterated that its projections are subject to a wide range of risks, including healthcare cost pressures, regulatory and litigation exposures, technology and cybersecurity challenges, competitive dynamics, and macroeconomic volatility that could cause actual 2026 results to differ materially.

The most recent analyst rating on (CI) stock is a Buy with a $322.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Cigna stock, see the CI Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Mar 03, 2026