Cencora, Inc. (NYSE:COR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Cencora, Inc. (NYSE:COR) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $380.25.

A number of equities analysts have commented on COR shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Cencora from $420.00 to $339.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Leerink Partners reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cencora in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Cencora from $405.00 to $355.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays raised their price target on Cencora from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $342.00 price objective on shares of Cencora in a research report on Friday, May 8th.

Cencora Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Cencora stock opened at $267.64 on Friday. Cencora has a 52-week low of $244.82 and a 52-week high of $377.54. The stock has a market cap of $52.07 billion, a PE ratio of 20.52, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $299.68 and a 200-day moving average of $334.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.40, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.95.

Cencora (NYSE:COR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $4.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.82 by ($0.07). Cencora had a return on equity of 135.20% and a net margin of 0.78%.The business had revenue of $78.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.42 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Cencora has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.650-17.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cencora will post 17.79 EPS for the current year.

Cencora Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Cencora’s dividend payout ratio is 18.40%.

Cencora announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 21st that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 3.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in COR. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Cencora by 13.0% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 48,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,086,000 after acquiring an additional 5,543 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Cencora during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,191,000. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd grew its stake in Cencora by 133.0% during the third quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 56,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,342,000 after purchasing an additional 32,138 shares during the period. Chilton Investment Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Cencora in the third quarter worth approximately $459,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Cencora by 40.3% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,407,000 after buying an additional 4,973 shares during the period. 97.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cencora Company Profile

Cencora (NYSE:COR) is a global healthcare services and pharmaceutical distribution company that provides end-to-end solutions across the pharmaceutical supply chain. The company’s core activities include wholesale drug distribution, specialty drug distribution, and the operation of specialty pharmacies, complemented by logistics, cold-chain management and other fulfillment services designed to support complex and temperature-sensitive therapies.

Beyond physical distribution, Cencora offers a range of commercial and patient-focused services for pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers.