Wall Street Zen Upgrades Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) to Strong-Buy

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on CAH. Zacks Research raised Cardinal Health from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus upped their target price on Cardinal Health from $232.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Cardinal Health from $209.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Leerink Partners reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of Cardinal Health in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Cardinal Health from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.67.

Cardinal Health Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE CAH opened at $195.13 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $45.92 billion, a PE ratio of 29.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.53. Cardinal Health has a 52-week low of $137.75 and a 52-week high of $233.60. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $213.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $206.18.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.79 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $60.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $62.10 billion. Cardinal Health had a negative return on equity of 92.61% and a net margin of 0.62%.The business’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.35 EPS. Cardinal Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.700-10.80 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cardinal Health will post 10.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Cardinal Health

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAH. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in Cardinal Health by 1,363.6% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 161 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Cardinal Health during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in Cardinal Health during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Cardinal Health during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Cardinal Health by 198.3% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 21,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 14,034 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cardinal Health News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 non‑GAAP earnings beat estimates and company raised FY‑2026 guidance to $10.70–$10.80, above consensus — the core bullish catalyst. PR Newswire: Q3 Results & Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Company executed $250M additional share repurchase (bringing FY26 repurchases to $1.0B) and reduced debt — shareholder‑friendly actions that support the share price. PR Newswire: Buybacks & Debt Reduction
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target from $256 to $245 but kept an “overweight” rating, signaling continued analyst confidence despite the trim. Benzinga: Wells Fargo PT Change
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call and transcripts are available for investors who want details on segment performance and management commentary. Yahoo Finance: Earnings Transcript Seeking Alpha: Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations ($60.9B reported vs. ~$62.1B est.), which prompted media coverage and short‑term selling pressure despite the EPS beat. Benzinga: Revenue Miss Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP results were weaker: GAAP operating earnings and GAAP EPS declined, driven in part by a $184M pre‑tax goodwill impairment in the Navista & ION reporting unit — a one‑time charge that reduces headline profitability. PR Newswire: Goodwill Impairment
• Negative Sentiment: Several outlets highlighted the “mixed” nature of the report (EPS/guidance vs. revenue/GAAP weakness), which can increase volatility and keep some investors on the sidelines. CNBC: Mixed Results Coverage

Cardinal Health Company Profile

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.