Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) Stock Has Average Target Price of $270.69 According to Analysts

Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $271.31.

CAH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Cardinal Health from $251.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Cardinal Health in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Cardinal Health from $258.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Cardinal Health from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Cardinal Health from $215.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th.

Cardinal Health Stock Performance

Shares of CAH stock opened at $268.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $239.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.24. Cardinal Health has a 52-week low of $180.45 and a 52-week high of $286.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.53.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.32. Cardinal Health had a negative return on equity of 98.53% and a net margin of 0.67%. The company had revenue of $67.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $66.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.55 EPS. Cardinal Health’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cardinal Health will post 12.55 EPS for the current year.

Cardinal Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.5158 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 1st. Cardinal Health’s payout ratio is currently 28.49%.

Insider Transactions at Cardinal Health

In other Cardinal Health news, CEO Jason M. Hollar sold 44,529 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.18, for a total transaction of $10,516,859.22. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 190,603 shares in the company, valued at $45,016,616.54. This trade represents a 18.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jessica L. Mayer sold 29,436 shares of Cardinal Health stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.19, for a total value of $6,952,488.84. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 33,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,812,220.44. This trade represents a 47.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 210,271 shares of company stock valued at $49,626,657 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cardinal Health

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Downshift Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cardinal Health by 3,666.7% in the 3rd quarter. Downshift Financial LLC now owns 113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Investors Research Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Cardinal Health in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cardinal Health by 12,600.0% in the 3rd quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 127 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Cardinal Health during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, NBH Bank bought a new position in shares of Cardinal Health during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

Cardinal Health News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Cardinal Health this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted EPS was $3.26, above the roughly $2.94 analyst consensus and up 28% year over year. Revenue rose 5% to $67.5 billion, also topping expectations. Cardinal Health Q1 results and outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS guidance to $12.80–$13.00, signaling confidence in continued growth. Robust pharmaceutical sales helped drive the quarter. Q1 earnings beat on pharmaceutical strength
• Positive Sentiment: Cardinal completed a $500 million share-repurchase program during the quarter. The results also drew favorable analyst attention, including a price-target increase. Analyst raises price target
• Neutral Sentiment: The shares also advanced while the broader market was under pressure, suggesting the earnings and guidance news were a company-specific catalyst. Cardinal gains amid broader market declines
• Negative Sentiment: Management noted modest commodity and petroleum-related pressure in medical distribution, a potential headwind against otherwise healthy demand. Demand and commodity pressures

About Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health, Inc is a healthcare services and products company that supports the distribution and delivery of pharmaceuticals, medical products and related services. The company serves hospitals, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices and other healthcare providers.

Its Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions segment distributes branded, generic and specialty pharmaceuticals, as well as consumer health products, to pharmacies and healthcare institutions.