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

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 10.700-10.80 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 10.320. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Cardinal Health Trading Down 4.7%

Shares of CAH stock traded down $9.61 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $193.21. 4,540,855 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,431,083. Cardinal Health has a 1 year low of $136.71 and a 1 year high of $233.60. The stock has a market cap of $45.47 billion, a PE ratio of 27.80, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $213.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $205.46.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80 by $0.37. Cardinal Health had a negative return on equity of 92.50% and a net margin of 0.68%.The business had revenue of $60.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Cardinal Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.700-10.80 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Cardinal Health will post 10.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cardinal Health Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.5107 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Cardinal Health’s payout ratio is presently 29.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Argus increased their price target on shares of Cardinal Health from $232.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cardinal Health from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Cardinal Health from $243.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Cardinal Health from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Leerink Partners reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $275.00 price target on shares of Cardinal Health in a report on Monday, March 9th. One 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, Cardinal Health presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.33.

Key Cardinal Health News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Raised and narrowed FY‑2026 non‑GAAP EPS guidance to $10.70–$10.80 (above Street consensus), signaling management confidence in specialty pharma demand. Cardinal Health lifts annual profit forecast on strong demand for specialty drugs — Reuters
• Positive Sentiment: Q3 non‑GAAP EPS beat — $3.17 vs. ~$2.80 consensus — and non‑GAAP operating earnings rose ~18%, showing margin improvement on pharma and specialty growth. Cardinal Health (CAH) Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates — Zacks
• Positive Sentiment: Returned capital and reduced leverage: completed an additional $250M buyback this quarter (bringing FY total to $1.0B), which supports EPS and buyback-driven shareholder returns. Cardinal Health Reports Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Results and Raises Outlook — PR Newswire
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials and call transcript are available for walk‑throughs of segment dynamics (pharma vs. Med/surg, specialty drug margins) for investors who want detail. Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript — Seeking Alpha
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst activity (e.g., new coverage/positive notes) and media pieces highlight differing views — some push the stock higher on guidance; others focus on the revenue miss. Cardinal Health Rises. A Guidance Hike Powers the Stock Past These Weak Points. — Barron’s
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations: Q3 sales ~$60.9B vs. ~$62.2B est., raising concerns about volume/price trends and muting the EPS beat. Cardinal Health is getting pummeled on mixed results — here’s our plan for stock — CNBC
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP results were weaker: GAAP operating earnings and EPS fell (GAAP EPS down ~20%) after a $184M pre‑tax goodwill impairment in Navista & ION — a one‑time but visible hit to GAAP profitability. Cardinal Health Reports Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Results and Raises Outlook — PR Newswire
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: despite the EPS beat and guidance raise, investors sold on mixed signals (top‑line miss + impairment), producing heavier volume and downward pressure. Why Is Cardinal Health Stock Sinking Thursday? — Benzinga

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cardinal Health

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its position in Cardinal Health by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,509,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,570,647,000 after purchasing an additional 221,497 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Cardinal Health by 153.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,804,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $911,010,000 after purchasing an additional 3,511,579 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Cardinal Health by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,592,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $563,922,000 after purchasing an additional 111,582 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Cardinal Health by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,483,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $546,724,000 after purchasing an additional 445,425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc boosted its position in Cardinal Health by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,605,349 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,976,000 after purchasing an additional 331,783 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

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.