Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Leerink Partners Analyst Says

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) had its price objective increased by Leerink Partners from $240.00 to $268.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Leerink Partners’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 16.98% from the stock’s current price.

CAH has been the subject of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Cardinal Health from $224.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group raised their price target on Cardinal Health from $185.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Cardinal Health in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Cardinal Health from $211.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Cardinal Health from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $190.00 to $244.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.21.

Cardinal Health Price Performance

CAH stock opened at $229.11 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.37, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $206.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.50. Cardinal Health has a 1-year low of $120.72 and a 1-year high of $229.76.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $65.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.88 billion. Cardinal Health had a net margin of 0.68% and a negative return on equity of 84.37%. Cardinal Health’s revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.93 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Cardinal Health will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Cardinal Health by 1,363.6% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 161 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cardinal Health in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of Cardinal Health by 198.3% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 21,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 14,034 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Cardinal Health by 75.0% in the 2nd quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Cardinal Health in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cardinal Health News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat — Cardinal posted fiscal Q2 results that topped estimates: non‑GAAP EPS $2.63 (vs. ~ $2.31–$2.39 consensus) and revenue ~$65.6B (+19% y/y). GAAP and non‑GAAP operating earnings rose materially year-over-year. Cardinal Health Reports Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Results and Raises Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY26 outlook — Management raised fiscal‑year non‑GAAP EPS guidance to $10.15–$10.35 (a second upward revision), signaling confidence in sustained strength. That guidance boost is a key driver of the rally. Cardinal Health boosts annual profit forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Specialty drug tailwinds & capital return — Management cited strong demand for specialty medicines (including GLP‑1 related activity) as a growth driver; the company also completed its $750M baseline share‑repurchase and said it’s in its targeted leverage range. These items support EPS growth and shareholder returns. Cardinal Health boosts annual profit forecast banking on surging demand for specialty drugs
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market commentary supportive — Earnings‑call takeaways and analyst notes emphasize a broad‑based upswing across segments and lifted 2026 EPS estimates, which is reinforcing buy interest. Cardinal Health’s Earnings Call Highlights Broad-Based Upswing
• Neutral Sentiment: Readouts available — Full earnings call transcript and slide deck were posted (useful for modeling segment-level drivers and cadence of margin improvement). Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/context — Market coverage notes the stock cleared its 52‑week high on the results; momentum can attract short‑term flows but also increases scrutiny. Cardinal Health Smashes 52-Week High After Strong Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and legacy profitability metrics — The stock now trades at a relatively rich multiple (PE ~34) and public filings show a negative trailing ROE figure (reflecting past charges/financial structure), which could temper upside if growth slows. Monitor guidance execution and margin sustainability. CAH stock profile and metrics

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.