Cardinal Health has strong cash conversion and growth, but quality is below the floor, the price is above the analyst target, and momentum is weak.
Thesis pillars
- Quality Below Floor↑Improving
- Excellent Cash Conversion→Stable
- Target Reached Limited Upside↑Improving
- +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning
Pillars as of Nov 1, 2026, based on the 10-K filed Aug 11, 2026
Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) Stock Analysis
Healthcare · Medical Distribution
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $250.48: Quality below floor (3.6 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.3/10. Specifically: Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum.
Cardinal Health, based in Dublin, Ohio, distributes branded and generic pharmaceuticals, specialty drugs and medical products to retail pharmacies, hospitals, health systems and other providers. Its Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions segment serves retailers and hospitals... Read more
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $250.48: Quality below floor (3.6 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.3/10. Specifically: Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Score 5.3/10, moderate confidence.
Passes 4/8 gates (clean insider activity, news boost analyst 0.60, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio and earnings proximity 3d<=7d. Suitability: moderate.
About Cardinal Health, Inc.
About Cardinal Health, Inc.
Cardinal Health's largest customer, CVS Health, accounted for 28 percent of fiscal 2026 revenue, and its five largest customers together accounted for 43 percent. The Dublin, Ohio company describes itself as a global healthcare services and products company serving hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices and patients in the home. Sales to members of its two largest group purchasing organizations, Vizient and Premier, collectively accounted for 29 percent of fiscal 2026 revenue.
In the United States, the Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions segment distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical and over-the-counter products to chain and independent drug stores, supermarket and mass merchandiser pharmacies, and hospitals. It maintains prime vendor relationships that streamline purchasing, provides manufacturers with distribution, inventory management, data reporting, new product launch support and chargeback administration, distributes specialty pharmaceuticals, runs pharmacy management services for hospitals, supports physician practices through MSO platforms, and repackages generic and over-the-counter products. Red Oak Sourcing, a generic pharmaceutical sourcing venture with CVS Health that negotiates supply contracts on behalf of both companies, runs through June 2029. GPOs act as agents negotiating vendor contracts for their members. The company also supplies medical products, and federal healthcare fraud and abuse laws, including the Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law and False Claims Act, apply to its operations.
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Customer and GPO concentration is the dominant exposure. The 10-K states that the loss of any significant customer or GPO agreement could adversely affect the business and flags a dedicated risk factor on significant sales and credit concentration. Because CVS Health is both the largest customer and the counterparty in Red Oak Sourcing, a change in that relationship could reach both revenue and generic sourcing. On August 7, 2026, the company entered an unsecured credit agreement giving access to $4.0 billion of revolving credit through August 7, 2031, replacing its existing 364-day and five-year revolving facilities and its receivables sale facility program. It also named Anita Zielinski as Chief Accounting Officer, effective November 5, 2026, succeeding Mary Scherer.
See also: Healthcare · Medical Distribution
From Cardinal Health, Inc.'s most recent 10-K filing, extracted October 18, 2026.
Recent developments
updated 2026-11-02Recent Developments — Cardinal Health, Inc.
Latest news
- NEWS Morgan Stanley Raises Cardinal Health Price Target to $286 — fiscal.ai Oct 30, 2026 positive
- NEWS Morgan Stanley Maintains Overweight on Cardinal Health, Raises Price Target to $286 — benzinga Oct 30, 2026 positive
- NEWS Pentagon Awards Cardinal Health $1.5 Billion Contract — fiscal.ai Oct 27, 2026 positive
- NEWS Mizuho Maintains Outperform on Cardinal Health, Raises Price Target to $280 — benzinga Oct 20, 2026 positive
- NEWS Mizuho Adjusts Price Target on Cardinal Health to $280 From $250 — fiscal.ai Oct 20, 2026 positive
Generated 2026-11-02T11:58:13Z.
Upcoming dated catalysts
Thesis
Key Metrics
Quality Signals
Options Flow
Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)
- MEDIUMCustomerCVS Health largest customer28%10-K Item 1: 'Our largest customer, CVS Health, accounted for 28 percent of our fiscal 2026 revenue.'
- MEDIUMCustomerfive largest customers43%10-K Item 1: 'our five largest customers, including CVS Health, accounted for 43 percent of our fiscal 2026 revenue.'
- MEDIUMCustomerVizient and Premier GPO members29%10-K Item 1: 'Our two largest GPO relationships in terms of revenue are with Vizient, Inc. and Premier, Inc. ... collectively accounted for 29 percent of our revenue in fiscal 2026'
Material Events(8-K, last 90d)
- 2026-08-11Item 1.01LOWOn Aug 7, 2026 the company entered an unsecured credit agreement with Wells Fargo as administrative agent giving $4.0 billion of revolving credit through Aug 7, 2031, extendable by up to two years.SEC filing →
- 2026-08-11Item 1.02MEDIUMThe new $4.0B revolver replaces the existing 364-day and five-year revolving credit facilities and the receivables sale facility program, which are terminated per the Item 1.01 text; termination details not fully shown.SEC filing →
- 2026-08-05Item 5.02MEDIUMAnita Zielinski (interim CFO and CAO at Baxter) appointed Chief Accounting Officer effective Nov 5, 2026, succeeding Mary Scherer, who stays through that date. Clean handoff.SEC filing →
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. How we score · Editorial policy
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Rating Breakdown
3 floor-breakers
Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static
Quality below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static
Momentum below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static
Price Targets
Position Sizing
Risk Alerts
Earnings
Verdict History
Frequently Asked Questions
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $250.48: Quality below floor (3.6 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 5.3/10. Specifically: Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Prior stop was $239.26. Score 5.3/10, moderate confidence.
Analyst target $246.12 reached (−1.7% from $250.48); no take-profit level is published. Prior stop was $239.26. Stop-loss: $239.26.
Target reached (-1.7% upside); Quality below floor (3.6 < 4.0).
Cardinal Health, Inc. trades at a P/E of 34.6 (forward 17.8). TrendMatrix value score: 5.6/10. Verdict: Sell.
22 analysts cover CAH with a consensus score of 4.2/5. Average price target: $273.
What does Cardinal Health, Inc. do?Cardinal Health, based in Dublin, Ohio, distributes branded and generic pharmaceuticals, specialty drugs and medical...
Cardinal Health, based in Dublin, Ohio, distributes branded and generic pharmaceuticals, specialty drugs and medical products to retail pharmacies, hospitals, health systems and other providers. Its Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions segment serves retailers and hospitals under prime vendor relationships and provides manufacturer services. CVS Health accounted for 28 percent of fiscal 2026 revenue, and the five largest customers for 43 percent.