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Data last updated: Oct 16, 2026
Snapshot (as of Oct 16, 2026): Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) pays a $2.05 annual dividend ($0.52 quarterly), yielding 0.81% at $252.64/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-10-01. Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.
Dividend Yield: 0.81%
Annual Dividend: $2.05 per share
Payout Ratio: 28.3%
Ex-Dividend Date: 2026-10-01
Dividend Frequency: quarterly
Sector: Healthcare
Years of Dividend History: 41
Cardinal Health, Inc. dividend sits at $2.0479 per share annually, paid quarterly by one of the largest healthcare distribution and medical products companies in the United States. CAH serves hospitals, pharmacies, outpatient surgical centers, and clinical labs, distributing pharmaceuticals and supplying branded medical products like surgical gloves, syringes, and wound care supplies. The current yield is 0.87%, with the next ex-dividend date on October 1, 2026, and the last quarterly payment of $0.5158 per share. With a beta of 0.519, CAH stock moves well below the broader market, which suits income investors who prioritize low volatility over high yield.
Cardinal Health, Inc. pays out 28.6% of earnings as dividends, a payout ratio classified as conservative (below 40%). That low payout leaves substantial room to sustain payments even if earnings face pressure, and the company's role as a distributor of essential pharmaceuticals and supplier of everyday medical consumables like needles, syringes, and incontinence products supports recurring demand. Cardinal Health, Inc. dividend safety is further reinforced by 41 years of dividend history with no cut visible in the available data window. The most significant data-supported pressure point is the negative long-term CAGR of -9.7%, which reflects past dividend reductions and signals that growth has not been linear.
Cardinal Health, Inc. dividend history shows a CAGR of -9.7% per year from 2009 to 2025. Per-share payments moved from $10.4150 in 2009 to $2.0326 in 2025 (with 2026 partial at $2.0530 so far, not used in the CAGR calculation). The largest annual increase in the window was 22.5% in 2013, but the data also contains at least one year-over-year decline exceeding 5%, which explains the deeply negative long-term rate. Growth is slow at best and negative over the full window, which limits the appeal of CAH for investors seeking rising income.
| Period | CAGR | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Year | +0.9% | $1.98 (2022) | $2.03 (2025) |
| 5-Year | +0.9% | $1.94 (2020) | $2.03 (2025) |
| 10-Year | +3.1% | $1.50 (2015) | $2.03 (2025) |
CAH fits dividend investors who prioritize low volatility and a conservative payout structure over income yield. The yield is low (below 2%) at 0.87%, though it sits above the 5-year average of 0.81%, meaning the current entry point offers a modest improvement on recent norms. The 28.6% payout ratio is the clearest strength here: it leaves earnings headroom that many higher-yielding stocks do not have. The trade-off is real, though. A -9.7% long-term CAGR and a history that includes at least one significant dividend cut mean Cardinal Health, Inc. stock is not a reliable dividend grower. What an investor gets is low market sensitivity and a well-covered payment; what they give up is meaningful income or dividend growth.
| Payment Date | Amount per Share |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-01 | $0.5160 |
| 2026-07-01 | $0.5158 |
| 2026-04-01 | $0.5107 |
| 2026-01-02 | $0.5107 |
| 2025-10-01 | $0.5107 |
| 2025-07-01 | $0.5107 |
| 2025-04-01 | $0.5056 |
| 2025-01-02 | $0.5056 |
| 2024-10-01 | $0.5056 |
| 2024-07-01 | $0.5056 |
| Year | Total Dividends |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $2.0532 |
| 2025 | $2.0326 |
| 2024 | $1.5118 |
| 2023 | $1.9975 |
| 2022 | $1.9779 |
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