Q1 EPS Forecast for Cardinal Health Boosted by Analyst

Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) – Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Cardinal Health in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 2nd. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $2.04 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate 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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.19. Cardinal Health had a negative return on equity of 59.57% and a net margin of 0.59%.

CAH has been the subject of several other research reports. Evercore ISI upgraded Cardinal Health from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America raised Cardinal Health from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $132.00 to $145.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Cardinal Health from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Cardinal Health from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Cardinal Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $130.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Four investment 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.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.14.

Cardinal Health Stock Down 5.6 %

Shares of CAH opened at $129.37 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $129.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.55. The stock has a market cap of $31.25 billion, a price-to-earnings 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cardinal Health

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marcum Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Cardinal Health in the first quarter worth about $236,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Cardinal Health by 18.6% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,705 shares of the company’s stock valued at $235,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Cardinal Health by 687.0% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 134,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,961,000 after buying an additional 117,803 shares during the period. 111 Capital bought a new stake in shares of Cardinal Health during the fourth quarter worth approximately $560,000. Finally, Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new position in Cardinal Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,576,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

Cardinal Health Dividend Announcement

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

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.