Zacks Research Expects Stronger Earnings for Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Cardinal Health in a report released on Thursday, December 5th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will post earnings of $2.40 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.35. The consensus estimate for Cardinal Health’s current full-year earnings is $7.82 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Cardinal Health’s FY2026 earnings at $8.65 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $9.20 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Cardinal Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 3rd. Barclays upped their price objective on Cardinal Health from $117.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Cardinal Health from $95.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Cardinal Health from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Cardinal Health from $119.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.58.

Cardinal Health Price Performance

Shares of Cardinal Health stock opened at $120.41 on Monday. Cardinal Health has a 52-week low of $93.17 and a 52-week high of $126.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.14 billion, a PE ratio of 23.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $116.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.07.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $52.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $50.90 billion. Cardinal Health had a negative return on equity of 56.56% and a net margin of 0.56%. Cardinal Health’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.73 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cardinal Health

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Cardinal Health in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cardinal Health during the second quarter worth $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Cardinal Health by 69.8% during the 3rd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Cardinal Health during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Cardinal Health in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cardinal Health Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.5056 dividend. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Cardinal Health’s payout ratio is presently 39.30%.

Cardinal Health Company Profile

Cardinal Health, Inc operates as a healthcare services and products company in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It provides customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, and patients in the home.