Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Cuts Stock Holdings in Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lowered its position in Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH - Free Report) by 80.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,654 shares of the company's stock after selling 98,596 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Cardinal Health were worth $2,799,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Cardinal Health in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $246,748,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Cardinal Health by 154.6% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,151,736 shares of the company's stock valued at $372,756,000 after purchasing an additional 1,913,892 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its stake in shares of Cardinal Health by 1,142.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 545,313 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,494,000 after purchasing an additional 501,421 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Cardinal Health during the 4th quarter worth about $45,115,000. Finally, Renaissance Group LLC boosted its stake in Cardinal Health by 4,375.6% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 265,044 shares of the company's stock worth $31,347,000 after purchasing an additional 259,122 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on CAH shares. TD Cowen raised shares of Cardinal Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $130.00 to $144.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised Cardinal Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $140.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of 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. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Cardinal Health from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $142.36.

Cardinal Health Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of Cardinal Health stock traded up $4.17 on Thursday, hitting $145.46. 4,015,244 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,199,540. Cardinal Health, Inc. has a 52 week low of $93.17 and a 52 week high of $147.20. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $131.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $124.49. The company has a market cap of $35.14 billion, a PE ratio of 27.14, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.61.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $54.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.33 billion. Cardinal Health had a net margin of 0.59% and a negative return on equity of 59.57%. Cardinal Health's revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.08 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Cardinal Health, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cardinal Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a $0.5056 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. Cardinal Health's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.69%.

Cardinal Health 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.