NorthRock Partners LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH)

NorthRock Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH - Free Report) by 730.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,347 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 35,491 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC's holdings in Cardinal Health were worth $4,772,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CAH. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in Cardinal Health during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Promus Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Cardinal Health during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Cardinal Health during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cardinal Health during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Cardinal Health during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cardinal Health Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of CAH traded up $2.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $154.23. 2,804,902 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,229,562. Cardinal Health, Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.17 and a 1 year high of $154.32. The company has a market cap of $36.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $137.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.65.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.20. Cardinal Health had a net margin of 0.59% and a negative return on equity of 59.57%. The company had revenue of $54.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.08 EPS. The firm's revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cardinal Health, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Cardinal Health Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $0.5107 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This is an increase from Cardinal Health's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. Cardinal Health's payout ratio is currently 31.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CAH. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Cardinal Health in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Cardinal Health from $142.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Cardinal Health from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cardinal Health from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Cardinal Health from $156.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cardinal Health presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $146.43.

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.