Franklin Resources Inc. Reduces Holdings in Cencora, Inc. $COR

Franklin Resources Inc. trimmed its stake in Cencora, Inc. (NYSE:COR) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 432,536 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,609 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.22% of Cencora worth $146,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of COR. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Cencora during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Cencora during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Archer Investment Corp grew its position in Cencora by 134.3% during the 4th quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Cencora during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in Cencora during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. 97.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cencora Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:COR opened at $281.48 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $54.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.59, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $290.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $328.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.40. Cencora, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $244.82 and a fifty-two week high of $377.54.

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

Cencora announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 21st that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 3.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Cencora Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cencora’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COR has been the topic of several research reports. Leerink Partners reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cencora in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Evercore set a $360.00 price objective on shares of Cencora in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cencora from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Cencora from $429.00 to $331.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $342.00 price objective on shares of Cencora in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cencora presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $374.00.

About Cencora

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.