Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) and the best and worst performers in the healthcare providers & services industry.

The healthcare providers and services sector, from insurers to hospitals, benefits from consistent demand, generating stable revenue through premiums and patient services. However, it faces challenges from high operational and labor costs, reimbursement pressures that squeeze margins, and regulatory uncertainty. Looking ahead, an aging population with more chronic diseases and a shift toward value-based care create tailwinds. Digitization via telehealth, data analytics, and personalized medicine offers new revenue streams. Nonetheless, headwinds persist, including clinical labor shortages, ongoing reimbursement cuts, and regulatory scrutiny over pricing and quality.

The 40 healthcare providers & services stocks we track reported a strong Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.4% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 10% on average since the latest earnings results.

Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH)

Operating as a critical link in the healthcare supply chain since 1979, Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) distributes pharmaceuticals and manufactures medical products for hospitals, pharmacies, and healthcare providers across the global healthcare supply chain.

Cardinal Health reported revenues of $60.94 billion, up 11% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 2.1%, but it was still a satisfactory quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

"An excellent third quarter extends our FY26 momentum, due to the durability and resilience of our business," said Jason Hollar, CEO of Cardinal Health.

The market was likely pricing in the results, and the stock is flat since reporting. It currently trades at $201.50.

Is now the time to buy Cardinal Health? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q1: agilon health (NYSE: AGL)

Transforming how doctors care for seniors by shifting financial incentives from volume to outcomes, agilon health (NYSE: AGL) provides a platform that helps primary care physicians transition to value-based care models for Medicare patients through long-term partnerships and global capitation arrangements.

agilon health reported revenues of $1.42 billion, down 7.3% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 3.2%. The business had a stunning quarter with EBITDA guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 217% since reporting. It currently trades at $88.40.

Is now the time to buy agilon health? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q1: Option Care Health (NASDAQ: OPCH)

With a nationwide network of 177 locations serving 43 states and a team of over 4,500 clinicians, Option Care Health (NASDAQ: OPCH) is the largest independent provider of home and alternate site infusion services, delivering medications and clinical support to patients across the United States.

Option Care Health reported revenues of $1.35 billion, up 1.3% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 3.3%. It was a slower quarter as it posted full-year revenue guidance missing analysts’ expectations.

As expected, the stock is down 22.4% since the results and currently trades at $20.95.

Read our full analysis of Option Care Health’s results here.

Brookdale (NYSE: BKD)

With a network of over 650 communities serving approximately 59,000 residents across 41 states, Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD) operates senior living communities across the United States, offering independent living, assisted living, memory care, and continuing care retirement communities.

Brookdale reported revenues of $764.9 million, down 6% year on year. This number missed analysts’ expectations by 0.8%. More broadly, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also logged a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a slight miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is down 7.2% since reporting and currently trades at $13.17.

Read our full, actionable report on Brookdale here, it’s free.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE: MOH)

Founded in 1980 as a provider for underserved communities in Southern California, Molina Healthcare (NYSE: MOH) provides managed healthcare services primarily to low-income individuals through Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace insurance programs across 21 states.

Molina Healthcare reported revenues of $10.8 billion, down 3.1% year on year. This result was in line with analysts’ expectations. Taking a step back, it was a slower quarter as it logged full-year revenue guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly and revenue in line with analysts’ estimates.

Molina Healthcare had the weakest full-year guidance update among its peers. The company lost 457,000 customers and ended up with a total of 5.03 million. The stock is up 20.9% since reporting and currently trades at $185.

Read our full, actionable report on Molina Healthcare here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Strong Momentum Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.