Earnings results often indicate what direction a company will take in the months ahead. With Q1 behind us, let’s have a look at McKesson (NYSE: MCK) and its peers.

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 9.6% on average since the latest earnings results.

McKesson (NYSE: MCK)

With roots dating back to 1833, making it one of America's oldest continuously operating businesses, McKesson (NYSE: MCK) is a healthcare services company that distributes pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and provides technology solutions to pharmacies, hospitals, and healthcare providers.

McKesson reported revenues of $96.3 billion, up 6% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 5.3%. Overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The market was likely pricing in the results, and the stock is flat since reporting. It currently trades at $756.50.

Is now the time to buy McKesson? 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 187% since reporting. It currently trades at $80.01.

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 and a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 18.3% since the results and currently trades at $21.97.

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

NeoGenomics (NASDAQ: NEO)

Operating a network of CAP-accredited and CLIA-certified laboratories across the United States and United Kingdom, NeoGenomics (NASDAQ: NEO) provides specialized cancer diagnostic testing services, including genetic analysis, molecular testing, and pathology consultation for oncologists and healthcare providers.

NeoGenomics reported revenues of $186.7 million, up 11.1% year on year. This print surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1.2%. It was a strong quarter as it also produced EPS in line with analysts’ estimates and a narrow beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is down 4% since reporting and currently trades at $8.66.

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

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 number came in 2.1% below analysts' expectations. More broadly, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is down 1.6% since reporting and currently trades at $199.50.

Read our full, actionable report on Cardinal Health 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 Top 5 Growth Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.