CAH
Cardinal HealthNYSEHealth CareMedical DistributionSnapshot 2026-05-08
As of May 8, 2026, CAH has a composite score of 27.3 and a signal label of "mild favorable." This score is influenced by a medium confidence level of 71.3 and a moderate risk label. Key drivers include macroeconomic factors such as labor and rates, with the sector score being notably low at 7.6. The analysis is provisional, indicating that the information may be subject to change.
Price
Daily closes from AlphaVantage. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Factor signals
Read top-to-bottom: thesis (is this a strong company over a 1–3 year hold), watch flags (has something changed worth re-reading), and position context (how violent might the path be). Each pill is a parallel diagnostic — never aggregated into a single score.
Thesis
— is this a strong company over a 1–3 year hold?Why this rank
- Direction share0.76
- Slope (norm)0.39
- Bonus0.00
Why this rank
Trailing four: 2023-Q1, 2024-Q1, 2025-Q1, 2026-Q1
Why this rank
Watch
— has something changed worth re-reading?Why this setup
EPS estimate $2.33 → $2.41 (+3.3% / 30d). 8 raised, 2 cut, 13 covering analysts.
0 upgrades, 0 downgrades / 30d, 4 maintained. 83% of analysts rate Buy.
1 PT revisions / 30d. Avg target 27.1% above current price.
1 positive, 0 negative / 30d. See F4 management tile for the event list.
F4 · Management deep-dive — recent events, stated priorities, guidance track record
Recent 8-K events
5 material events in the last 24 months — top 5 listed below.
Stated priorities
2 priorityies extracted from earnings transcripts (as of 2026-05-08).
- 1.Increase EPS guidancegrowthbehind30% progress
4/30: “Cardinal Health is raising and narrowing its fiscal year 2026 guidance for non-GAAP diluted EPS to $10.70 to $10.80.”
Why this status
Stated in 4 of last 4 quarters. EPS guidance increased from $9.30-$9.50 in 2025-Q3 to $10.70-$10.80 in 2026-Q2. Revenue grew from $52.28B in 2025-Q1 to $65.63B in 2026-Q2, supporting the trajectory of delivering on this priority.
- 2.Improve free cash flowgrowthmixed65% progress
4/30: “Improved free cash flow: Adjusted free cash flow raised and narrowed to $3.3 billion to $3.7 billion.”
Why this status
Stated in 2 of last 2 quarters. Free cash flow guidance increased from $3.0B-$3.5B in 2026-Q1 to $3.3B-$3.7B in 2026-Q2. Cash from operating activities rose from $973M in 2026-Q1 to $1.659B in 2026-Q2, indicating progress towards this priority.
Guidance track record
Insufficient guidance history for this ticker.
Position context
— how violent might the path be while I hold it?Why this risk level
Recent vol — 30d annualized 28%; 252d 29%.
Drawdown — Max 1y −20%. Bad day move −2%.
Beta to sector ETF (XLV) — 0.38 over 1y.
Liquidity — score 100/100.
Sub-scores — vol 52/100, drawdown 60/100, beta 38/100, earnings vol —.
Calm + bullish setup — clean pre-earnings positioning pattern.
via XLV
Tailwind = sector leading the S&P 500; headwind = trailing. Both can be constructive — historically, headwind regimes have averaged stronger forward returns than tailwind.
Context label only — describes the market state (e.g. real bear vs narrative panic, healthy uptrend vs late-stage froth). It is not a per-ticker buy/sell signal and does not predict factor performance.
Not investment advice. As of 2026-05-08.
What changed
The most important moves since the prior daily snapshot.
- No material changes since the prior snapshot.
No material changes since the prior snapshot.
as of 2026-05-08
Management scorecard
How management runs the business — capital, margins, balance sheet, and how reliably they guide and deliver.
Met or beat guidance 0% of the last 1 guided quarters · -74.7% avg surprise
What management is focused on
Priorities management has stated in recent disclosures, with status and evidence drawn from earnings calls, filings, and press releases.
- #1
Increase EPS guidance
GrowthNew since 2026-05-04Cardinal Health aims to increase its EPS guidance for fiscal year 2026.
On track →BehindStated in 4 of last 4 quarters. EPS guidance increased from $9.30-$9.50 in 2025-Q3 to $10.70-$10.80 in 2026-Q2. Revenue grew from $52.28B in 2025-Q1 to $65.63B in 2026-Q2, supporting the trajectory of delivering on this priority.
EPS guidance increased from $9.30-$9.50 to $10.70-$10.8030%CEO/CFO:“Cardinal Health is raising and narrowing its fiscal year 2026 guidance for non-GAAP diluted EPS to $10.70 to $10.80.”Multiple sourcesSource dated 2026-04-30Stated 4 of last 8 quartersFirst seen 2026-05-04Show history (4)
- 2026-Q2Multiple sources
“Cardinal Health is raising and narrowing its fiscal year 2026 guidance for non-GAAP diluted EPS to $10.70 to $10.80.”
- 2026-Q1Multiple sources
“Cardinal Health is raising its fiscal year 2026 guidance for non-GAAP diluted EPS to $10.15 to $10.35.”
- 2025-Q4Multiple sources
“Cardinal Health is raising its guidance for non-GAAP diluted EPS to $9.65 to $9.85.”
- 2025-Q3Multiple sources
“Fiscal year 2026 non-GAAP EPS guidance raised to $9.30 to $9.50.”
- #2
Improve free cash flow
GrowthNew since 2026-05-04Cardinal Health is focused on improving its free cash flow for fiscal year 2026.
On track →MixedStated in 2 of last 2 quarters. Free cash flow guidance increased from $3.0B-$3.5B in 2026-Q1 to $3.3B-$3.7B in 2026-Q2. Cash from operating activities rose from $973M in 2026-Q1 to $1.659B in 2026-Q2, indicating progress towards this priority.
Free cash flow guidance increased from $3.0B-$3.5B to $3.3B-$3.7B65%CEO/CFO:“Improved free cash flow: Adjusted free cash flow raised and narrowed to $3.3 billion to $3.7 billion.”Multiple sourcesSource dated 2026-04-30Stated 2 of last 8 quartersFirst seen 2026-05-04Show history (2)
- 2026-Q2Multiple sources
“Improved free cash flow: Adjusted free cash flow raised and narrowed to $3.3 billion to $3.7 billion.”
- 2026-Q1Multiple sources
“The company is also raising its expectations for adjusted free cash flow to $3.0 billion to $3.5 billion.”
How this stock is priced
Two ways to read price: against peers in the same business, and against the company's own history.
Roughly priced in line with peers.
Cheaper than its own typical valuation.
P/E over the last 5 years
47 monthly pointsHow this compares
A side-by-side read on composite, valuation, and risk versus peers.
| Stock | Composite | Valuation | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
CAH Cardinal Health | +27 | inexpensive | moderate |
LLY Lilly (Eli) | +21 | full | moderate |
JNJ Johnson & Johnson | +18 | full | low |
ABBV AbbVie | +12 | fair | low |
UNH UnitedHealth Group | +24 | fair | elevated |
Risk — how this stock moves
What a normal day looks like, what a bad day looks like, and the worst the last year has thrown at it.
What could change this view
Conditional scenarios — if X happens, the score would shift by about Y points. These are not predictions.
- If health_care sector trend rises from +0.06 into 'improving' (>= +0.20)+5.0 pts
- If next-quarter guidance is cut (currently RAISED as of 2026-04-30)-16 pts
- If labor state reverses from -0.31 (negative) to +0.31 (positive)-6.8 pts
- If health_care sector trend falls from +0.06 into 'weakening' (<= -0.20)-5.0 pts
- If rates state reverses from -0.37 (negative) to +0.37 (positive)-2.9 pts
Material updates
Recent SEC 8-K filings ranked by likely impact, confidence, and recency.
- 2026-04-308d agoItem 2.02
Results of Operations and Financial Condition On April 30, 2026, Cardinal Health, Inc. (the "Company") issued a news release announcing its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. A copy of the news release is included as Exhibit 99.1 to this report.
earnings preannouncementpositivescore 60 - 2026-03-231mo agoItem 5.02
Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. On March 17, 2026, Gregory B. Kenny notified Cardinal Health, Inc. (the “Company”) of his decision to retire from the Board of Directors (the “Board”), all committees thereof and from his position as Board Chair, effective March 20, 2026. Mr. Kenny’s decision to retire was not the result of any disagreement with the Company on any matter related to…
executive changeneutralscore 19 - 2026-03-052mo agoItem 5.02
Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. On March 2, 2026, Mary Scherer, Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, notified Cardinal Health, Inc. (the “Company”) that she intends to retire in February 2027. The Company will initiate a search process to identify her successor. Ms. Scherer will continue to serve as Chief Accounting Officer until her successor is identified and onb…
executive changeneutralscore 13 - 2026-02-053mo agoItem 2.02
Results of Operations and Financial Condition On February 5, 2026, Cardinal Health, Inc. (the "Company") issued a news release announcing its results for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. A copy of the news release is included as Exhibit 99.1 to this report.
earnings preannouncementpositivescore 9
Score history
The composite score, snapshot by snapshot. The dotted line at zero separates leaning-positive from leaning-negative.
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.