Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 10.000- for the period. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on CAH. UBS Group upped their target price on Cardinal Health from $185.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup upgraded Cardinal Health from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $190.00 to $244.00 in a report on Friday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $250.00 price target on Cardinal Health in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Cardinal Health from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $240.00 target price on shares of Cardinal Health in a report on Tuesday. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.27.

Cardinal Health Trading Up 2.5%

CAH opened at $213.54 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $50.74 billion, a PE ratio of 32.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.65. Cardinal Health has a 12 month low of $120.72 and a 12 month high of $214.93. The company has a 50 day moving average of $204.88 and a 200 day moving average of $174.05.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $64.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.41 billion. Cardinal Health had a net margin of 0.68% and a negative return on equity of 84.37%. Cardinal Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.88 earnings per share. Cardinal Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.650-9.850 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Cardinal Health will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cardinal Health Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.5107 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Cardinal Health’s payout ratio is currently 30.77%.

Key Headlines Impacting Cardinal Health

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

• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY‑2026 guidance to at least $10.00 non‑GAAP EPS (up from $9.65–$9.85), improving consensus beat probability and supporting earnings upside. Cardinal Health Raises Fiscal 2026 Outlook and Highlights Strategic Progress During J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Presentation
• Positive Sentiment: Company now expects Specialty revenue to exceed $50 billion in FY‑2026 (roughly 16% CAGR over three years), signaling a faster mix shift to higher‑margin specialty distribution. Cardinal Health Stock Jumps on Guidance Raise. Why 2026 Will Be a Good Year.
• Positive Sentiment: Launched ContinuCare™ Pathway (direct‑to‑patient at‑home diabetes supply program) and announced a key partnership with Publix — a strategic push into services/retail that supports recurring revenue and patient stickiness. Cardinal Health Raises Fiscal 2026 Outlook and Highlights Strategic Progress During J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Presentation
• Positive Sentiment: Management said it successfully transitioned manufacturer distribution service agreements affected by 2026 Medicare drug‑price negotiations, removing a key operational/legal overhang. Cardinal Health Raises Fiscal 2026 Outlook and Highlights Strategic Progress During J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Presentation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have reacted with upgrades and higher fair‑value views after the guidance/strategy update, which can lift sentiment and support multiple expansion. Will Analyst Upgrades and Specialty Focus Change Cardinal Health’s (CAH) Healthcare Supply Chain Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presentation materials and transcript from the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference provide detail on strategy execution and were posted for investor review. Review the slides/transcript for revenue cadence and margin assumptions. Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) Presents at 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference – Slideshow Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) Presents at 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Market writeups note the stock’s intraday strength following the update; investors should watch upcoming earnings cadence vs. the new guidance and specialty margin realization. Why the Market Dipped But Cardinal Health (CAH) Gained Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/technical context: CAH is trading well above its 200‑day moving average with a P/E near 32 and PEG ~1.5 — investors should weigh growth acceleration vs. current multiple. How The Story For Cardinal Health (CAH) Is Shifting In Analysts Fair Value Views

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cardinal Health

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Cardinal Health by 198.3% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 21,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 14,034 shares during the last quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. bought a new stake in Cardinal Health during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cardinal Health during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Cardinal Health in the 3rd quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in Cardinal Health by 40.8% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 687 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cardinal Health Company Profile

Cardinal Health is a multinational healthcare services and products company headquartered in Dublin, Ohio. Tracing its roots to the early 1970s, the company has grown into a major provider of supply chain and distribution services for the healthcare sector. Cardinal Health operates across a range of service lines that support hospitals, health systems, pharmacies, physician offices and clinical laboratories.

The company’s core activities include the wholesale distribution of branded and generic pharmaceuticals, the supply and distribution of medical-surgical products, and the provision of logistics and inventory management solutions.