Zacks Research Expects Higher Earnings for Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) – Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Cardinal Health in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 2nd. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will post earnings of $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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%.

CAH has been the subject of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Cardinal Health from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Cardinal Health from $142.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Cardinal Health from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Argus set a $148.00 price target on Cardinal Health in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Cardinal Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cardinal Health has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.14.

Cardinal Health Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAH opened at $136.96 on Friday. Cardinal Health has a 1 year low of $93.17 and a 1 year high of $139.50. The company has a market cap of $33.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.55, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $129.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.44.

Cardinal Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.5056 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. Cardinal Health’s payout ratio is 37.69%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cardinal Health

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

About Cardinal Health

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.