Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) is included among the 16 Best Dividend Stocks with Rising Payouts. Wells Fargo Raises Outlook on Cardinal Health (CAH), Cites Broad Business Strength On February 10, Wells Fargo raised its price recommendation on Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) to $256 from $237. The firm reiterated its Overweight rating on the stock. The decision followed a strong Q2 performance, which led the firm to lift its earnings estimates. Wells Fargo pointed to broad strength across the business ...

Core Insights - The 2025 Q4 earnings cycle has shown resilience with strong overall growth among S&P 500 companies, particularly highlighted by Cardinal Health (CAH) and Palantir (PLTR) delivering notably strong results [1][9]. Palantir Performance - Palantir reported sales of $1.4 billion, reflecting a 70% year-over-year growth, with U.S. sales reaching $1.1 billion, up 93% year-over-year and 28% sequentially [2][3]. - The company secured over $4.2 billion in total contract value (TCV), marking an increase of more than 130% from the previous year [3]. - Palantir's customer base expanded by 34% compared to the year-ago period [3]. Cardinal Health Performance - Cardinal Health achieved a double-beat relative to consensus expectations, with sales increasing by 18.8% year-over-year and adjusted EPS growing by 36.3% year-over-year [10]. - The growth was broad-based, particularly in Pharmaceuticals and Specialty Solutions, which saw a 19% year-over-year increase and accounts for approximately 90% of total sales [11]. - Following the strong quarterly performance, Cardinal Health raised its FY26 outlook, projecting adjusted EPS in the range of $10.15 - $10.35, indicating a 24.5% year-over-year growth [12].

For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Adlai Nortye Ltd. Sponsored ADR (ANL) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Medical peers, we might be able to answer that question.Adlai Nortye Ltd. Sponsored ADR is one of 925 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #9 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector ...

Core Insights - Investors should not rely solely on stock price movements without understanding a company's fundamentals, as this can lead to financial losses. A thorough review of a company's financial health is essential, particularly in an unpredictable market [1] Interest Coverage Ratio - The interest coverage ratio is a critical metric that indicates how effectively a company can pay interest charges on its debt [3][4] - This ratio is calculated by dividing Earnings before Interest & Taxes (EBIT) by Interest Expense, providing insight into a company's ability to meet its interest obligations [4] - A ratio lower than 1 indicates potential default risk, while a higher ratio suggests a company can withstand financial difficulties [6] Investment Strategy - Companies with an interest coverage ratio above the industry average, a favorable Zacks Rank, and a VGM Score of A or B are likely to yield better investment results [7] - Additional criteria for screening include a minimum stock price of $5, strong historical and projected EPS growth compared to the industry median, and an average trading volume greater than 100,000 [8][9] Company Performance Highlights - Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT) has a Zacks Rank of 1, a VGM Score of B, and is projected to have a 17.6% sales growth and 26% EPS growth this fiscal year, with a stock price increase of 36.2% over the past year [10][11] - Brinker International, Inc. (EAT) also holds a Zacks Rank of 1 and a VGM Score of A, with expected sales growth of 7.9% and EPS growth of 19.8%, although its stock has declined by 3.6% in the past year [11][12] - Tapestry, Inc. (TPR) has a Zacks Rank of 1 and a VGM Score of B, with projected sales growth of 9.6% and EPS growth of 23.7%, and a significant stock increase of 72.8% over the past year [12][13] - Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) carries a Zacks Rank of 2 and a VGM Score of A, with anticipated sales growth of 16.5% and EPS growth of 25.1%, and a stock surge of 74.8% in the past year [13][14]

Investors often turn to recommendations made by Wall Street analysts before making a Buy, Sell, or Hold decision about a stock. While media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm employed (or sell-side) analysts often affect a stock's price, do they really matter?Before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage, let's see what these Wall Street heavyweights think about Cardinal Health (CAH) .Cardinal currently has an average brokerage recomme ...

Group 1: LATAM Airlines Group - LATAM Airlines Group is the leading airline in Latin America, providing regional and long-haul flights in Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador [1] - The company has a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) and has seen a 4.3% increase in the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings over the last 60 days [1] - LATAM Airlines' shares have gained 37.8% over the last three months, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 1.3%, and it possesses a Momentum Score of A [2] Group 2: ING Group - ING Group is a global financial institution of Dutch origin, offering banking, insurance, and asset management services to over 50 million clients in 65 countries [2] - The company holds a Zacks Rank of 1 and has experienced a 7.8% increase in the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings over the last 60 days [2] - ING Group's shares have increased by 10.6% over the last three months, also outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 1.3%, and it has a Momentum Score of A [3] Group 3: Cardinal Health - Cardinal Health is one of the world's largest healthcare services and products providers, operating in Pharmaceutical & Specialty Solutions, Global Medical Products & Distribution, and other growth businesses [4] - The company has a Zacks Rank of 1 and has seen a 4.4% increase in the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings over the last 60 days [4] - Cardinal Health's shares have gained 4.6% over the last three months, again outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 1.3%, and it possesses a Momentum Score of A [5]

Core Viewpoint - Cardina Health (CAH.US) reported revenue growth in its recent earnings report, leading to an increase in stock price and several institutions raising their target prices [1] Group 1: Earnings Performance - For the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, the company reported revenue of $65.627 billion, a year-over-year increase of 18.75% [2] - Net profit reached $467 million, reflecting a 16.75% year-over-year growth, primarily driven by the pharmaceutical distribution business [2] - Following the earnings release, the stock price experienced a fluctuation of 6.91% over the week, peaking at $230.81 on February 6 and dipping to $212.03 on February 5 [2] Group 2: Institutional Opinions - TD Cowen maintained a "Buy" rating on February 11, 2026, raising the target price from $233 to $251 based on better-than-expected earnings and industry outlook [3] - Among 20 institutions that provided insights in February, 80% rated the stock as "Buy" or "Hold," with an average target price of $251.13 [3] - The overall healthcare sales sector saw a rise of 1.05% during the same period [3] Group 3: Market Activity - On the earnings release date (February 5), trading volume reached 3.58 million shares, but decreased to 126,800 shares by February 11, indicating a drop in trading activity [4] - Prior to the earnings report, from November to December 2025, the company experienced several days of significant trading volume increases, such as a 12.24% surge on November 24 [4]

Core Insights - Cardinal Health is a significant player in the healthcare sector, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products to over 100,000 locations daily, focusing on high-margin specialty services and clinical products [1] - Wells Fargo upgraded Cardinal Health to "Overweight" with a price target increase from $237 to $256, indicating a positive outlook on the stock [2][6] Financial Performance - Cardinal Health's Q2 2026 results exceeded expectations, reporting a 19% increase in revenue to $66 billion and a 36% rise in non-GAAP EPS to $2.63, driven by strong pharmaceutical demand [3][6] - The company raised its fiscal year 2026 EPS guidance to between $10.15 and $10.35, indicating a year-over-year growth of 23-26% [4][6] Segment Performance - All five operating segments achieved double-digit profit growth, with the Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions segment leading with a 29% increase [4] - Sales of GLP-1 medications contributed approximately 6 percentage points to the revenue growth in the Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions segment, while the BioPharma Solutions segment experienced over 30% revenue growth [5]

Core Insights - The Q4 earnings season for 2025 has been positive, with strong growth and many companies exceeding expectations, except for NVIDIA [1] Boot Barn (BOOT) - Boot Barn reported a 16% year-over-year increase in sales, with same-store sales rising by 5.7%, indicating strong performance in existing stores while expanding [2][4] - The company opened 25 new locations, bringing the total to 514, and achieved a gross margin of 39.9%, up from 39.3% year-over-year, reflecting improved profitability [4][6] - Boot Barn anticipates opening 70 new stores in FY26, with projected sales between $2.24 billion and $2.25 billion, and same-store sales growth expected to be between 6.5% and 7.5% [8] Cardinal Health (CAH) - Cardinal Health experienced an 18.8% year-over-year sales increase and a 36.3% growth in adjusted EPS, marking a significant recovery after stagnation in 2024 [9][12] - Sales growth was broad-based, with Pharmaceuticals and Specialty Solutions up 19% year-over-year, contributing approximately 90% of total sales [12] - The company raised its FY26 outlook for adjusted EPS to a range of $10.15 to $10.35, suggesting a 24.5% year-over-year growth [14] Overall Market Sentiment - Both Boot Barn and Cardinal Health have raised their guidance following strong quarterly results, indicating potential near-term outperformance [16]

Core Viewpoint - Cardinal Health, Inc. is recognized as one of the 12 unstoppable dividend stocks to buy according to analysts, reflecting strong market confidence in the company's performance and growth potential [1]. Financial Performance - Morgan Stanley raised its price target for Cardinal Health from $245 to $255, maintaining an Overweight rating, following strong second-quarter results that improved the stock's risk-reward profile [2]. - Cardinal Health raised its 2026 profit outlook after reporting quarterly results that exceeded expectations, driven by solid demand for specialty medicines, resulting in a stock price increase of over 9% [3]. - The company reported quarterly revenue of $65.63 billion, surpassing analysts' average estimate of $64.14 billion, with adjusted profit at $2.63 per share, exceeding estimates of $2.36 [6]. Industry Trends - Drug distributors, including Cardinal Health, are benefiting from increased demand for higher-margin treatments for complex conditions such as cancer and autoimmune diseases, supported by the rollout of biosimilars linked to blockbuster drugs that have lost patent protection [4]. - Companies in this sector are expanding into specialty medicines through acquisitions of cancer center operators, diversifying beyond traditional drug distribution while strengthening core operations [5]. Company Strategy - Cardinal Health's CEO Jason Hollar indicated that while GLP-1 drugs contribute to revenue, they are not expected to significantly impact earnings in the near term, with adoption remaining slow but anticipated to accelerate over time [5].