MEDIUM confidence: 100% data completeness, but the composite (52) sits in the indecisive 30–70 range — strong-buy and short calls require a more decisive composite. What does confidence mean?
Technical context for active traders — derived from price, the 50/200-day moving averages, the 52-week range, and recent volume. Not part of the QScore.
AI classification of policy/regulatory sensitivity from the company's sector, industry, and business description. Exposure/sensitivity only — not a political opinion, a prediction of government action, or investment advice. As of 2026-07-10.
Dated events from the market calendar; the “also watch” items are AI-generated observations from QScoring data. Informational only — not investment advice, and dates can change.
Fama-French 5-factor (2×3) + Momentum, monthly OLS with Newey-West errors. Bars show signed factor betas; faded bars/figures aren't statistically significant.
Avg target $273 (last qtr, 9 analysts) → $273 (last mo, 9) (+0.0%).
Buy-rated share 83% → 82% over ~3 months (-1pp).
| Quarter | Est. | Actual | Surprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | $2.42 | $2.91 | +20.2% |
| Apr 2026 | $2.79 | $3.17 | +13.6% |
| Feb 2026 | $2.34 | $2.63 | +12.4% |
| Oct 2025 | $2.18 | $2.55 | +17.0% |
| Aug 2025 | $2.04 | $2.08 | +2.0% |
| May 2025 | $2.17 | $2.35 | +8.3% |
| Jan 2025 | $1.74 | $1.93 | +10.9% |
| Nov 2024 | $1.62 | $1.88 | +16.0% |
| Metric (USD) | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $181.3B— | $205.0B+13.0% | $226.8B+10.7% | $222.6B-1.9% | $254.2B+14.2% |
| EPS (dil.) | $-3.34— | $1.26n/m | $3.45+173.8% | $6.45+87.0% | $7.23+12.1% |
| Free Cash Flow | $2.7B— | $2.4B-13.6% | $3.3B+37.6% | $1.9B-43.1% | $4.5B+144.6% |
| Gross Margin | 3.6% | 3.4%-0.2pp | 3.3%-0.1pp | 3.7%+0.4pp | 3.8%+0.2pp |
| Operating Margin | -0.3% | 0.4%+0.7pp | 0.5%+0.2pp | 1.0%+0.5pp | 1.0%+0.0pp |
| Net Margin | -0.5% | 0.2%+0.7pp | 0.4%+0.2pp | 0.7%+0.3pp | 0.7%-0.0pp |
Absolute figures with year-over-year change. Margins show the level with the change in percentage points (pp). “n/m” = not meaningful (prior ≤ 0); ⚠ marks a large percentage off a small base — read the dollar figure.
Net insider -$1.2M over 180 days (0 open-market buys, 3 sells). Insider buying is the informative signal; routine selling is normal.
Short interest, days-to-cover, and institutional-ownership change require a data-plan upgrade (not yet available).
Forward-return IC, quintile spread & hit rate publish on /performance as the tracking panel accrues enough no-look-ahead history.
Net buyback (repurchases less issuance) ÷ market cap, plus trailing dividend yield.
Working the DCF backward: holding the assumptions below, this is the free-cash-flow growth today's price implies over the next 10 years. It is a read on the price's embedded expectations — not a fair-value or target price.
The price implies FCF growth below the analyst consensus of 7.3%/yr (revenue basis).
Base free cash flow $3.2B (avg FY2024–FY2026; latest year $4.5B) · equity value $54.4B · levered FCF discounted at the cost of equity. Reverse DCF is illustrative, not advice.
The QScore of 52 for Cardinal Health indicates a neutral outlook, with the stock's short-term score slightly outpacing its long-term score. The stock scores high on momentum, driven by a 58.5% return over the past year and a bullish 50-day versus 200-day moving average trend. However, its value and profitability scores are dragged down by a P/E of 31.9 and a negative ROE of -59.7%, respectively, while its growth score is supported by 14.2% revenue growth and 144.6% free cash flow growth.