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Cardinal Health (CAH) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Cardinal Health logo
$246.67 -1.94 (-0.78%)
As of 09/4/2026 03:58 PM Eastern

Cardinal Health - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
3
Buy
16

Based on 19 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Cardinal Health in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 19 analysts, 3 have given a hold rating, and 16 have given a buy rating for CAH.

Consensus Price Target

$266.56
8.06% Upside
According to the 19 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Cardinal Health, the average price target is $266.56. The highest price target for CAH is $292.00, while the lowest price target for CAH is $208.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 8.06% from the current price of $246.67.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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CAH Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/5/25 to 9/5/26
1 Month Ago
8/6/25 to 8/6/26
3 Months Ago
6/7/25 to 6/7/26
1 Year Ago
9/5/24 to 9/5/25
Strong Buy
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
16 Buy rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
12 Buy rating(s)
Hold
3 Hold rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$266.56$251.73$241.80$165.93
Forecasted Upside8.06% Upside5.92% Upside17.50% Upside11.01% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy

CAH Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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CAH Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Cardinal Health Stock vs. The Competition

TypeCardinal HealthHealthcare CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.84
2.30
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside8.06% Upside928.57% Upside14.05% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Very Positive News

See Recent CAH News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
8/19/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
5 of 5 stars
 DowngradeBuy (B+)Buy (B)
8/19/2026
Ryan Halsted
Ryan Halsted
Not Rated
Initiated CoverageSector PerformOutperform$276.00+17.52%
8/13/2026
TD Cowen logo
TD Cowen
3 of 5 stars
Charles Rhyee
Charles Rhyee
Not Rated
Boost TargetBuy$275.00 ➝ $280.00+20.56%
8/13/2026Boost TargetOverweight$258.00 ➝ $275.00+17.43%
8/13/2026Boost TargetNeutral$215.00 ➝ $260.00+12.22%
8/12/2026Boost TargetOverweight$255.00 ➝ $265.00+11.53%
8/12/2026Reiterated RatingOutperform$270.00+12.46%
8/12/2026Boost TargetBuy$274.00 ➝ $280.00+16.63%
8/12/2026Boost TargetOutperform$240.00 ➝ $250.00+4.13%
8/12/2026Boost TargetBuy$265.00 ➝ $280.00+18.01%
8/12/2026Boost TargetOverweight$245.00 ➝ $277.00+15.38%
8/12/2026Boost TargetOutperform$251.00 ➝ $274.00+14.13%
8/11/2026Set Target$292.00+21.63%
7/2/2026Boost TargetBuy$240.00 ➝ $260.00+8.08%
6/12/2026 DowngradeStrong-BuyHold
4/28/2026Initiated CoverageOutperform
2/11/2026 Boost TargetBuy$232.00 ➝ $248.00+12.31%
1/22/2026Boost TargetBuy$220.00 ➝ $270.00+29.34%
11/18/2025 Boost TargetHold$195.00 ➝ $208.00+0.61%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Saturday at 07:47 AM ET.


Should I Buy Cardinal Health Stock? CAH Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Cardinal Health pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Cardinal Health
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Cardinal Health, Inc.:

  • Cardinal Health, Inc. recently reported earnings per share of $2.91 for the quarter ended August 11, 2026, which significantly exceeded the analyst consensus estimate of $2.42, demonstrating strong profitability and operational efficiency that can drive shareholder value.
  • The stock is currently trading at $239.25, which is below the consensus price target of $266.56 set by sixteen analysts who have rated the stock with a Buy rating, suggesting there is still significant upside potential for investors entering the position now.
  • Cardinal Health, Inc. has raised its full-year 2027 earnings per share guidance to a range of $12.40 to $12.60, which is above the previous consensus estimate of $12.05, indicating management confidence in continued growth and strong future performance.
  • Institutional investors are showing strong conviction in the company, with Wellington Management Group LLP increasing its holdings by 247.5% in the second quarter and BlackRock Inc. acquiring a new stake worth over $6.2 billion, signaling that large funds view the stock as a core holding.
  • The company maintains a low beta of 0.49, meaning its stock price tends to be less volatile than the overall market, which can provide a defensive characteristic for investors seeking stability in their portfolio during periods of market uncertainty.

Cardinal Health
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Cardinal Health, Inc. for these reasons:

  • Cardinal Health, Inc. reported a negative return on equity of 98.53% in its most recent quarter, which indicates that the company is not generating positive returns on the equity invested by shareholders, a significant red flag for long-term value creation.
  • Insiders have been selling shares aggressively, with CEO Jason M. Hollar selling 44,529 shares and other executives selling a combined total of over 210,000 shares in the last quarter, which can signal a lack of confidence in the stock's future performance from those closest to the company.
  • The company's revenue of $63.67 billion in the most recent quarter fell short of analyst expectations of $65.15 billion, suggesting that while profits were strong, the top-line growth may not be meeting the high expectations set by the market.
  • Cardinal Health, Inc. has a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.09, which is relatively high compared to many healthcare distributors, meaning investors are paying a premium for earnings that may not be sustainable if growth slows or margins compress.
  • Short interest has been increasing in recent months, with shares shorted rising to 6.39 million as of August 14, 2026, indicating that a growing number of traders are betting against the stock, which can create downward pressure on the price.

CAH Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 19 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Cardinal Health is $266.56, with a high forecast of $292.00 and a low forecast of $208.00.

19 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Cardinal Health in the last twelve months. There are currently 3 hold ratings and 16 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" CAH shares.

According to analysts, Cardinal Health's stock has a predicted upside of 8.06% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Cardinal Health's stock had 2 downgrades and 1 upgrade by analysts.

Analysts like Cardinal Health more than other "healthcare" companies. The consensus rating for Cardinal Health is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "healthcare" companies is Hold. Learn more on how CAH compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Cardinal Health analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 8/19/2026.
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