CAH vs MCK: Cardinal Health and McKesson compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- McKesson is the larger company, worth $116.6B, about 2.0 times Cardinal Health.
- Cardinal Health grew revenue faster over the last year (+14.2% vs +7.7%).
- McKesson keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (1.6% vs 1.0%).
- On earnings, McKesson is the cheaper stock (25.3x vs 32.9x).
- McKesson's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about 5% a year, against -1% for Cardinal Health (reverse DCF).
Side by side
The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.
| Measure | CAH | MCK |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $58.3B | $116.6B |
| Share price | $237.57 | $938.84 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $254.2B | $403.4B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $4.5B | $5.7B |
| Revenue growth, last year | +14.2% | +7.7% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +8.8% | +11.2% |
| Operating margin | 1.0% | 1.6% |
| Net margin | 0.67% | 1.1% |
| Return on equity | — | — |
| P/E (trailing) | 32.9x | 25.3x |
| Price / free cash flow | 31.5x | 20.4x |
| EV / EBITDA | 17.4x | 16.4x |
| FCF growth the price implies | -0.79% | 5.3% |
| Dividend yield | 0.82% | 0.32% |
| Debt / equity | — | — |
| Fundamental grade | D | D |
| Superinvestors holding it | 6 | 6 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 2 | 10 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
Cardinal Health
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $181.3B | $2.8B | -0.33% |
| 2023 | $205.0B | $2.4B | 0.37% |
| 2024 | $226.8B | $3.3B | 0.55% |
| 2025 | $222.6B | $1.9B | 1.0% |
| 2026 | $254.2B | $4.5B | 1.0% |
McKesson
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $264.0B | $4.0B | 0.77% |
| 2023 | $276.7B | $4.8B | 1.6% |
| 2024 | $309.0B | $3.9B | 1.3% |
| 2025 | $359.1B | $5.5B | 1.2% |
| 2026 | $403.4B | $5.7B | 1.5% |
Where the revenue comes from
Cardinal Health · by segments, 2026
Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions$234.8B92%
GMPD$12.7B5%
Other Operating Segment$6.8B3%
McKesson · by segments, 2026
North American Pharmaceutical$336.7B84%
Oncology & Multispecialty$48.4B12%
Medical-Surgical Solutions$11.5B3%
Prescription Technology Solutions$5.8B1%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open CAH in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, Cardinal Health or McKesson?
McKesson (MCK), at $116.6B against $58.3B.
Is CAH or MCK cheaper?
By trailing P/E, McKesson (25.3x) is cheaper than Cardinal Health (32.9x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, CAH or MCK?
Cardinal Health: revenue grew +14.2% over the last year, against +7.7%.
More comparisons
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.