Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Purchases Shares of 28,584 Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in shares of Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 28,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,381,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in Cardinal Health by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in Cardinal Health by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Cardinal Health by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 3,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. MWA Asset Management raised its position in Cardinal Health by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. MWA Asset Management now owns 3,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Cardinal Health by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,735 shares of the company’s stock valued at $323,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cardinal Health Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CAH opened at $132.09 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $126.94 and a 200 day moving average of $119.78. The firm has a market cap of $31.91 billion, a PE ratio of 24.64, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.66. Cardinal Health, Inc. has a one year low of $93.17 and a one year high of $132.84.

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.19. Cardinal Health had a net margin of 0.59% and a negative return on equity of 59.57%. On average, equities analysts predict that Cardinal Health, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cardinal Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.5056 dividend. This represents a $2.02 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Cardinal Health’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Cardinal Health from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Cardinal Health from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Evercore ISI upgraded Cardinal Health from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Cardinal Health in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $139.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Cardinal Health from $136.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $139.36.

Cardinal Health Company Profile

Cardinal Health, Inc operates as a healthcare services and products company in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It provides customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, and patients in the home.