Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 10.000- for the period. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Cardinal Health Price Performance

Shares of Cardinal Health stock opened at $210.15 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.70, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $204.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $173.48. Cardinal Health has a 12 month low of $119.25 and a 12 month high of $214.93.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $64.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.41 billion. Cardinal Health had a negative return on equity of 84.37% and a net margin of 0.68%.The firm’s revenue was up 22.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. Cardinal Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.650-9.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Cardinal Health will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cardinal Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.5107 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. Cardinal Health’s dividend payout ratio is 30.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Cardinal Health from $195.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Cardinal Health from $189.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wall Street Zen raised Cardinal Health from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Barclays began coverage on Cardinal Health in a research note on Monday, December 8th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $243.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Cardinal Health from $185.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $213.40.

Cardinal Health News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Cardinal Health this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised fiscal 2026 non‑GAAP EPS guidance to at least $10.00 (from $9.65–$9.85), signaling stronger profitability and giving analysts a reason to lift models. PR Newswire: Cardinal Health Raises Fiscal 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects specialty revenues to exceed $50 billion in FY2026 (≈16% 3‑yr CAGR), showing meaningful mix shift to higher‑margin specialty distribution — a key driver of the guidance raise and long‑term margin improvement. Barron’s: Cardinal Health Stock Jumps on Guidance Raise
• Positive Sentiment: New commercial initiatives highlighted at J.P. Morgan — including the ContinuCare™ Pathway for at‑home diabetes supply management and a partnership with Publix — support recurring revenue expansion in Home Solutions and specialty channels. PR Newswire: Strategic Progress & ContinuCare
• Positive Sentiment: Market and media reaction is upbeat — coverage underscores the guidance beat and specialty growth story, helping momentum and investor sentiment. TipRanks: Cardinal Health Raises 2026 EPS Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst fair‑value and coverage pieces are being updated; some outlets debate valuation after the multi‑year rally, so upgrades and higher targets may be offset by valuation scrutiny. Yahoo Finance: Analyst Fair Value Views
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analyst pieces and screens (Zacks, sector lists) continue to highlight CAH as a dividend‑growth/medical supplies pick — positive for income investors but not an immediate catalyst. Zacks: Should Value Investors Buy CAH?
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose materially in December (≈23.6% increase to ~6.06M shares; ~2.6% of float), which can add volatility and signal some investor skepticism despite the guidance raise. (Short interest data reported internally.)
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary questioning whether the stock has “run too far” after large multi‑year gains may pressure sentiment among momentum or valuation‑focused investors. Yahoo Finance: Has Cardinal Run Too Far?

Institutional Trading of Cardinal Health

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in Cardinal Health in the 3rd quarter valued at $6,062,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Cardinal Health during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,817,000. Advisory Services Network LLC increased its position in Cardinal Health by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 6,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $958,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Cardinal Health in the third quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cardinal Health by 8.3% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 118,961 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,672,000 after purchasing an additional 9,116 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

About Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health is a multinational healthcare services and products company headquartered in Dublin, Ohio. Tracing its roots to the early 1970s, the company has grown into a major provider of supply chain and distribution services for the healthcare sector. Cardinal Health operates across a range of service lines that support hospitals, health systems, pharmacies, physician offices and clinical laboratories.

The company’s core activities include the wholesale distribution of branded and generic pharmaceuticals, the supply and distribution of medical-surgical products, and the provision of logistics and inventory management solutions.