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Cardinal Health (CAH) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Cardinal Health logo
$237.48 -1.48 (-0.62%)
As of 01:11 PM Eastern
This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.

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
12.24% 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 12.24% from the current price of $237.48.
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
10/9/25 to 10/9/26
1 Month Ago
9/9/25 to 9/9/26
3 Months Ago
7/11/25 to 7/11/26
1 Year Ago
10/9/24 to 10/9/25
Strong Buy
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
16 Buy rating(s)
16 Buy rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
12 Buy rating(s)
Hold
3 Hold rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
3 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$266.56$249.13$166.00
Forecasted Upside12.24% Upside10.93% Upside5.77% Upside5.57% 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.
Skip Chart & View Analyst Rating History

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
2.32
2.52
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside11.46% Upside903.12% Upside19.64% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent CAH News
Neutral News
Neutral News
Report Date
0 Results
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
8/19/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
3 of 5 stars
 DowngradeBuy (B+) ➝ Buy (B)
8/19/2026
Ryan Halsted
Ryan Halsted
Not Rated
Initiated CoverageSector Perform ➝ Outperform$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-Buy ➝ Hold
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 Friday at 01:11 PM 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 Monday, October 5, 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 extended its pharmaceutical distribution agreement with CVS Health through June 2032, which reduces uncertainty around a key revenue stream and reinforces the stability of its business model by securing a major customer relationship for the long term.
  • The company has demonstrated strong earnings momentum, beating analyst consensus estimates for the last four consecutive quarters, including the most recent quarter where it reported earnings per share of $2.91 against an estimate of $2.42, indicating consistent operational outperformance.
  • Wall Street analysts maintain a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $266.56, which suggests significant upside potential from the current stock price of $232.96, reflecting confidence in the company's future growth trajectory.
  • Cardinal Health, Inc. reaffirmed its fiscal 2027 non-GAAP earnings per share guidance of $12.40 to $12.60 and its long-term growth target of 12% to 14%, providing investors with a clear and optimistic outlook for future profitability.
  • The stock exhibits a low beta of 0.50, meaning it is less volatile than the broader market, which can make it an attractive defensive holding for investors seeking stability 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:

  • Corporate insiders have engaged in significant selling activity, with 31 sales and zero purchases in the past six months, including large transactions by the CEO and CFO, which may signal a lack of confidence in the stock's near-term appreciation.
  • The company's current price-to-earnings ratio of 32.22 is relatively high, suggesting that the stock may be overvalued relative to its earnings, which could limit upside potential if growth does not accelerate to justify the premium valuation.
  • Cardinal Health, Inc. reported a negative return on equity of 98.53% in its most recent quarterly results, indicating that the company is not efficiently generating profits from its shareholders' equity, which is a concerning metric for long-term value creation.
  • Revenue for the most recent quarter came in below analyst estimates, with actual revenue of $63.67 billion compared to a consensus of $65.15 billion, suggesting that top-line growth may be facing headwinds despite strong earnings performance.
  • Short interest has been increasing in recent months, with shares shorted rising to 6.67 million as of September 2026, indicating that a growing number of investors are betting against the stock's price performance.

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 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 analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" CAH shares.

According to analysts, Cardinal Health's stock has a predicted upside of 12.24% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Cardinal Health's stock had 1 upgrade and 1 downgrade 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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