Cencora (NYSE:COR) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.04 EPS

Cencora (NYSE:COR) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.04 by $0.04, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $85.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $86.12 billion. Cencora had a return on equity of 176.54% and a net margin of 0.50%.Cencora’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.73 earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from Cencora’s conference call:

• Completed the acquisition of the majority stake in One Oncology (ownership now ~92%), adding a pharmaceutical-centric MSO platform to strengthen Cencora’s specialty and community oncology capabilities.
• Raised fiscal 2026 guidance: consolidated adjusted operating income growth to 11.5%–13.5%, U.S. Healthcare Solutions operating income to 14%–16%, and reaffirmed adjusted EPS guidance of $17.45–$17.75.
• Reported solid Q1 results with adjusted diluted EPS of $4.08 (+9%), consolidated revenue of $85.9B (+5.5%), and gross profit up 18%, driven mainly by U.S. Healthcare Solutions and recent acquisitions.
• Paused share repurchases to prioritize debt paydown after financing One Oncology; raised full-year interest expense guidance to $480M–$500M and recorded negative adjusted free cash flow of $2.4B in the quarter.
• International operating income declined (down ~14% as‑reported, ~17% on constant currency) due to timing of manufacturer price adjustments in a developing market, although management expects the timing issue to unwind and left full-year international guidance unchanged.

Cencora Stock Performance

COR traded up $5.79 on Friday, reaching $357.95. 320,518 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,269,456. Cencora has a fifty-two week low of $237.71 and a fifty-two week high of $377.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.44 billion, a PE ratio of 43.01, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.68. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $346.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $325.46.

Cencora Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Cencora’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.19%.

Insider Activity at Cencora

In related news, EVP Silvana Battaglia sold 1,677 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $345.00, for a total value of $578,565.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,796 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,484,620. This represents a 8.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth S. Campbell sold 3,351 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.10, for a total value of $1,146,377.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,891 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,173,111.10. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,316 shares of company stock worth $7,151,265. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of COR. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Cencora by 9.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,190,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,872,249,000 after buying an additional 782,911 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Cencora by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,509,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,409,152,000 after purchasing an additional 89,506 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Cencora by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,272,464 shares of the company’s stock worth $710,213,000 after acquiring an additional 126,929 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its position in Cencora by 95.0% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 2,081,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $624,207,000 after buying an additional 1,013,913 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of Cencora by 518.9% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,995,118 shares of the company’s stock worth $623,534,000 after acquiring an additional 1,672,762 shares during the last quarter. 97.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays assumed coverage on Cencora in a research note on Monday, December 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Bank of America cut their price objective on Cencora from $380.00 to $360.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Cencora from $354.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Cencora from $440.00 to $420.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Cencora from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $394.75.

Key Stories Impacting Cencora

Here are the key news stories impacting Cencora this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and margin improvement — Cencora reported an EPS beat, operating margins expanded and management highlighted strong U.S. growth in the quarter, which supports the stock’s upside. Cencora Inc (COR) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 operating‑income and sales outlook — Management outlined 11.5%–13.5% operating income growth for 2026 while integrating OneOncology and lifted the sales outlook for the year, which is a forward positive catalyst. Cencora Lifts 2026 Sales Outlook Despite Q1 Revenue Miss
• Positive Sentiment: Declared quarterly dividend — The board declared a $0.60 quarterly dividend (record Feb 13, pay Mar 2), which may support investor income demand and reduce volatility. (Company release)
• Neutral Sentiment: OneOncology integration completes — Cencora closed the OneOncology deal; management and partners characterize the terms as demonstrating mutual trust, but near‑term integration execution will determine value creation. As Cencora Closes With OneOncology, Patton Says Terms Show “Trust”
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue came up short of expectations — Investors reacted to a slight revenue miss for the quarter (headline revenue slightly below forecasts), which pressured the stock despite the EPS beat and margin gains. Cencora Falls on 1Q Revenue Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price‑target trim — Evercore ISI lowered its price target to $420 (from $440) while keeping an outperform rating; the cut signals tempered near‑term upside expectations even though the target still implies material upside. Cencora Given New $420.00 Price Target at Evercore ISI
• Negative Sentiment: Relative underperformance — Coverage noted that Cencora underperformed peers on the trading session, suggesting short‑term sentiment and sector rotation may be weighing on the shares. Cencora Inc. stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors

About Cencora

Cencora (NYSE:COR) is a global healthcare services and pharmaceutical distribution company that provides end-to-end solutions across the pharmaceutical supply chain. The company’s core activities include wholesale drug distribution, specialty drug distribution, and the operation of specialty pharmacies, complemented by logistics, cold-chain management and other fulfillment services designed to support complex and temperature-sensitive therapies.

Beyond physical distribution, Cencora offers a range of commercial and patient-focused services for pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers.