Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) – Research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Cardinal Health in a report issued on Wednesday, April 2nd. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will earn $2.04 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.01. The consensus estimate for Cardinal Health’s current full-year earnings is $7.95 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Cardinal Health’s Q2 2026 earnings at $1.96 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.55 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.90 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.16 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $9.39 EPS.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.19. Cardinal Health had a net margin of 0.59% and a negative return on equity of 59.57%.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on CAH. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Cardinal Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $140.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Mizuho increased their target price on Cardinal Health from $142.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Cardinal Health from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Cardinal Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $130.00 to $144.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Cardinal Health from $136.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.14.

Cardinal Health Stock Down 5.6 %

CAH opened at $129.37 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $31.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.66. Cardinal Health has a 12 month low of $93.17 and a 12 month high of $139.50. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $129.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.55.

Cardinal Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.5056 dividend. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Cardinal Health’s payout ratio is 37.69%.

Institutional Trading of Cardinal Health

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in Cardinal Health by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. CSS LLC IL boosted its holdings in shares of Cardinal Health by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. CSS LLC IL now owns 11,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,323,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Cardinal Health by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Cardinal Health by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association raised its position in Cardinal Health by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 2,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $258,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

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.