Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) Upgraded by Zacks Research to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Cardinal Health from $222.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Argus lifted their price objective on Cardinal Health from $232.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Leerink Partners increased their target price on Cardinal Health from $240.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Cardinal Health from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, UBS Group set a $260.00 price objective on Cardinal Health and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.19.

Cardinal Health Stock Up 2.6%

NYSE CAH opened at $220.72 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $208.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $182.20. Cardinal Health has a twelve month low of $120.72 and a twelve month high of $230.81. The company has a market capitalization of $51.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.76, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.64.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $65.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.88 billion. Cardinal Health had a negative return on equity of 92.50% and a net margin of 0.68%.The company’s revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.93 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Cardinal Health will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cardinal Health Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.5107 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. Cardinal Health’s payout ratio is presently 29.35%.

Institutional Trading of Cardinal Health

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Cardinal Health by 1,363.6% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Cardinal Health in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Cardinal Health during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Cardinal Health by 198.3% during 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. Finally, Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cardinal Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Cardinal Health

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

• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results and underlying strength — Cardinal reported a Q4 EPS beat and revenue above expectations, with revenue up ~19% year-over-year, which analysts cite as supporting the stock’s upside. Cardinal Health’s (NYSE:CAH) Solid Earnings Are Supported By Other Strong Factors
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend confirmed — the Board approved a quarterly dividend of $0.5107 per share (payable Apr 15; record Apr 1). The cash return reinforces income appeal and signals confidence in cash flow. Cardinal Health Board of Directors Approves Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst lift — JPMorgan raised its price target to $243, providing a tangible upside anchor for investors and helping sentiment. JPMorgan Chase Increases Cardinal Health Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks momentum & valuation coverage — CAH was added to Zacks’ Rank #1 momentum list and several Zacks pieces highlight undervaluation and a favorable long-term value case, which can attract momentum and value investors. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for February 13th Are Investors Undervaluing Cardinal Health?
• Neutral Sentiment: Kalkine notes logistics/reliability improvements on the NYSE composite — operational reliability updates are constructive but are incremental near-term drivers. Cardinal Health Boosts Logistics Reliability
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst Q&A from the earnings call — the transcript highlights management’s priorities and risk items; useful for longer-term fundamental assessment but not an immediate catalyst. The 5 Most Interesting Analyst Questions From Cardinal Health’s Q4 Earnings Call

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.