Brokers Offer Predictions for Cardinal Health Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has increased its Q1 2026 earnings per share estimate for Cardinal Health to $2.20, reflecting a growth from the previous estimate of $2.08, while the consensus full-year earnings estimate for 2026 stands at $7.95.
• Cardinal Health's recent quarterly earnings showed an EPS of $2.08, surpassing analyst expectations, but revenue came in lower than forecasted at $60.16 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.5107, with a yield of 1.4%, indicating its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Cardinal Health in a report released on Tuesday, September 2nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $2.20 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.08. 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 $2.19 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.70 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.28 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.37 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.27 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.36 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.67 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.58 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $9.89 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $11.82 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on CAH. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $170.00 price objective (up previously from $157.00) on shares of Cardinal Health in a report on Friday, June 13th. Argus set a $189.00 price objective on shares of Cardinal Health in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Cardinal Health in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Cardinal Health from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Leerink Partners decreased their price target on shares of Cardinal Health from $188.00 to $186.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cardinal Health presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $165.93.

Cardinal Health Stock Up 0.6%

CAH opened at $150.44 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.51. Cardinal Health has a 52 week low of $106.54 and a 52 week high of $168.44. The company has a market capitalization of $35.92 billion, a PE ratio of 23.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.73.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 12th. The company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.05. Cardinal Health had a negative return on equity of 74.45% and a net margin of 0.70%.The business had revenue of $60.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. Cardinal Health's revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Cardinal Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS.

Cardinal Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a $0.5107 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Cardinal Health's dividend payout ratio is 31.63%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Ola M. Snow sold 28,151 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.94, for a total transaction of $4,192,809.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 15,431 shares in the company, valued at $2,298,293.14. This represents a 64.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Jason M. Hollar sold 107,705 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.90, for a total transaction of $16,037,274.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 235,901 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,125,658.90. The trade was a 31.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 271,676 shares of company stock worth $40,489,525. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Cardinal Health

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Cardinal Health by 3.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,389,049 shares of the company's stock worth $1,069,005,000 after acquiring an additional 205,539 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Cardinal Health by 40.0% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,175,992 shares of the company's stock valued at $575,327,000 after purchasing an additional 1,193,983 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Cardinal Health during the second quarter worth approximately $584,420,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Cardinal Health by 3.5% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,143,003 shares of the company's stock valued at $433,012,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Cardinal Health by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,037,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $510,347,000 after acquiring an additional 207,750 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company's stock.

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.

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