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Stocks/Health Care/Health Care Distributors

Cardinal HealthCAH

Health Care Distributors · Dublin, Ohio · In the S&P 500
$250.48−0.24%After hours: $250.01 (−0.19%)At the close, 30 Oct · Prices from CNBC, may be delayed
▲ 52.3% over 1 year
Cardinal Health over 1 yearDaily close, $, to 30 Oct 2026
$200Nov2026MarMayJulSep$250.48$200NovMarJul$250.48
Source: Nasdaq daily closes
Market value$58.00B
Price to earnings34.6x
Forward P/E20.0x
Dividend yield0.82%
Year to date+21.9%
One year+52.3%
Next earningsThu 5 Nov, before the open
SectorHealth Care
52-week range (closes)
$182.50$257.55

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Quality and valuation

How Cardinal Health compares with other health care stocks. A description, not a recommendation.

Cardinal Health and 5 health care distributors peers. Across: valuation (P/E) against the sector. Up: business quality against the sector. Hover or tap a logo for its numbers.

Business quality: weaker than mostValuation: in line with its sector

A weaker business than most health care companies, priced about in line with them.

Cardinal Health trades at 20.0 times the next 12 months of expected earnings, against a median of 19.1x for the 65 health care stocks we cover. The quality score blends where it ranks on revenue growth, gross margin, operating margin and free-cash-flow margin (net margin for banks and insurers) over the last 12 months, from SEC filings.

  • Revenue grew faster than the sector median: +10.1% vs +7.8%
  • Keeps less of each sale (gross margin): 3.7% vs 65.3%
  • Less profitable (operating margin): 1.0% vs 13.3%
  • Turns less of its sales into cash: 2.2% vs 15.9%
CAH trades at 20.0x forward earnings, above the sector medianForward p/e, Health Care Distributors peers
NVS17.0xAZN17.5xMRK18.1xUNH18.9xABBV19.6xCAH20.0xJNJ25.1xLLY36.3xSector median 19.1xNVS17.0xAZN17.5xMRK18.1xUNH18.9xABBV19.6xCAH20.0xJNJ25.1xLLY36.3xSector median 19.1x
Source: CNBC quotes; Mostly Markets
At 36.0x earnings, CAH is pricier than its average since Aug 2024Price over the last 12 months of reported (GAAP) diluted EPS
P/EUsual range (±1 s.d.)
25x30xAverage 28.4x2025202636.0x30xAverage 28.4x2025202636.0x
Source: Nasdaq prices; SEC filings

Financials

From Cardinal Health's SEC filings, through the quarter ending 31 Dec 2025. Hover or tap a bar for its value.

Revenue grew 18.8% from a year earlierQuarterly revenue, $bn, latest Q2 ’26
$0bn$20bn$40bn$60bnQ3 ’24Q1 ’25Q3 ’25$65.6bnQ2 ’26$0bn$25bn$50bnQ3 ’24Q1 ’25Q3 ’25$65.6bnQ2 ’26
Source: SEC filings
Growth slowed to +18.8% last quarterRevenue growth, year on year, %
0%10%20%Q1 ’25Q2 ’25Q3 ’25Q4 ’25Q1 ’2618.8%Q2 ’260%10%20%Q1 ’25Q2 ’25Q3 ’25Q4 ’25Q1 ’2618.8%Q2 ’26
Source: SEC filings
Operating margin was 1.1% last quarterOperating income as a share of revenue, %
0.0%0.5%1.0%Q3 ’24Q1 ’25Q3 ’251.1%Q2 ’260.0%0.5%1.0%Q3 ’24Q1 ’25Q3 ’251.1%Q2 ’26
Source: SEC filings
Free cash flow was $5.5 billion over 12 monthsQuarterly free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex), $bn
$0bn$2bnQ3 ’24Q1 ’25Q3 ’25$0.6bnQ2 ’26$0bn$2bnQ3 ’24Q1 ’25Q3 ’25$0.6bnQ2 ’26
Source: SEC filings
Last 12 monthsCAHSector median
Revenue growth+10.1%+7.8%
Gross margin3.7%65.3%
Operating margin1.0%13.3%
Free cash flow margin2.2%15.9%
Price to earnings34.6x30.2x

Similar companies

Health Care Distributors, by market value.

CompanyPriceTodayYTDValue
LLYEli Lilly$1,417.54+3.19%+31.9%$1.33T
JNJJohnson & Johnson$273.20−0.73%+32.0%$658B
ABBVAbbVie$294.89+1.41%+29.1%$521B
MRKMerck$149.52+2.18%+42.0%$369B
UNHUnitedHealth$406.97−0.96%+23.3%$365B
NVSNovartis$160.79−0.19%+16.6%$327B
AZNAstraZeneca$186.65+7.02%+6.4%$290B
TMOThermo Fisher Scientific$697.00−1.72%+20.3%$258B