Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) – What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and sixteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $274.00.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Cardinal Health from $251.00 to $274.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Cardinal Health from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Mizuho set a $290.00 target price on Cardinal Health in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised Cardinal Health from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Cardinal Health from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th.

Cardinal Health Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:CAH opened at $273.95 on Tuesday. Cardinal Health has a twelve month low of $180.45 and a twelve month high of $286.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $241.24 and its 200-day moving average is $223.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.44, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.53.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.32. Cardinal Health had a net margin of 0.67% and a negative return on equity of 98.53%. The business had revenue of $67.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $66.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.55 EPS. Cardinal Health’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cardinal Health will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Cardinal Health news, insider Jessica L. Mayer sold 29,436 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.19, for a total value of $6,952,488.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 33,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,812,220.44. This trade represents a 47.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen M. Mason sold 35,000 shares of Cardinal Health stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.40, for a total transaction of $8,274,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 18,061 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,269,620.40. This represents a 65.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 210,271 shares of company stock worth $49,626,657. Company insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cardinal Health

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CAH. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Cardinal Health in the 2nd quarter valued at $6,293,115,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Cardinal Health by 247.5% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,860,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,530,206,000 after purchasing an additional 10,584,119 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Cardinal Health during the 2nd quarter worth $689,066,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Cardinal Health in the 2nd quarter worth about $438,870,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Cardinal Health by 14.7% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,565,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $330,728,000 after buying an additional 200,021 shares during the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cardinal Health Company Profile

Cardinal Health is a healthcare services and products company that distributes pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. Its customers include pharmacies, hospitals, surgery centers, physician offices and other healthcare providers.

The company’s businesses include pharmaceutical distribution and specialty services, as well as the sourcing and distribution of medical and surgical products. Its offerings support areas such as specialty medications, medication management and supply-chain operations.

Cardinal Health traces its roots to a wholesale business founded in Ohio in 1971 and later expanded into pharmaceutical distribution.