The market seems to be calming down lately which is good for investors. That means more opportunities to buy. As the quarter ends and companies release their earnings, some may have missed earnings slightly causing a decrease in their share price. This is the time investors wait for and buy on those dips. I am pleased to announce my first purchase of April. I picked up 11 shares of Cardinal Health (CAH) at $71.67. Below, more info is listed for CAH.
CAH Stats
Annual Dividend: $1.80
Yield: 2.48%
Years Paying/ Increasing: 12 years
Dividend increase from prior year 13.8%
Payout Ratio: 33.2%
P/E Ratio: 17.35
EPS: $4.17
It’s amazing how one day can change a company from trading at a high, to being on your watch list, to “I have to buy this!” Why did CAH have an 11% dip in stock price in one day? And why does it make me want to buy it so much? The decrease was caused by an earnings revision, and news that CAH announced an acquisition of Medtronic (MDT). This will cause some volatility in stock price for the short term but should help earnings and growth for the long term. Cardinal will increase their medical equipment lines with Patient Care, Deep Vein Thrombosis, and Nutritional Insufficiency businesses from the Medtronic acquisition.
Cardinal Health has a good track record of increasing dividends. With a high dividend growth rate and a low payout ratio it has been on my watch list for some time. While the yield is low now, similar to my last buy HRL, the growth rate will increase this over time. This dip in price seemed like the perfect entry point to open a new position with CAH. While it is a relatively small position, it is also the first healthcare stock I have in my portfolio which will open up a new sector and give me more diversification between sectors.
With a dividend yield of 2.48% or $1.80 annually, $19.80 will be added to my yearly dividend income. Do you like CAH? Did you pick any up on the dip? Have you purchased any other stocks recently? What other companies are you watching closely right now?