Cardinal Health (CAH) ended the recent trading session at $230.11, demonstrating a -1.52% change from the preceding day's closing price. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.38%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.02%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.9%.
The stock of prescription drug distributor has risen by 3.21% in the past month, lagging the Medical sector's gain of 4.34% and overreaching the S&P 500's gain of 1.27%.
The upcoming earnings release of Cardinal Health will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on August 11, 2026. In that report, analysts expect Cardinal Health to post earnings of $2.42 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 16.35%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $65.61 billion, up 9.06% from the prior-year quarter.
For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $10.77 per share and a revenue of $256.24 billion, demonstrating changes of +30.7% and +15.12%, respectively, from the preceding year.
Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Cardinal Health. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential.
Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.29% higher within the past month. Cardinal Health currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Cardinal Health has a Forward P/E ratio of 19.45 right now. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 17.08 for its industry.
It is also worth noting that CAH currently has a PEG ratio of 1.14. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Medical - Dental Supplies industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.86.
The Medical - Dental Supplies industry is part of the Medical sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 64, this industry ranks in the top 27% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is Here
The AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.
See Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).