CAH vs AMRX vs MCK Stock Comparison

Cardinal Health, Amneal Pharmaceuticals and Mckesson Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CAH Cardinal Health Inc
$246.50 +11.9% 1M +50.5% 1Y
Market cap
$57.71B
P/E
33.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$254.25B
Div. yield
0.01%
Drug Distribution Healthcare
5 wins
MCK Mckesson Corp
$967.03 +11.6% 1M +19.2% 1Y
Market cap
$113.87B
P/E
24.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$410.98B
Div. yield
0.00%
Drug Distribution Healthcare
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Cardinal Health leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Cardinal Health 5, Mckesson 4, Amneal Pharmaceuticals 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCAHAMRXMCKLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $57.71B $6.75B $113.87B MCK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.7x 42.9x 24.8x MCK
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.5x 22.1x 20.5x CAH
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +14.2% +9.3% +8.8% CAH
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 0.7% 5.0% 1.1% AMRX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 33.9% 17.4% 107.9% MCK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 3.8x 0.6x MCK
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% CAH
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +50.5% +109.2% +19.2% AMRX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +38.9%/yr +31.5%/yr +36.4%/yr CAH
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.4% 35.0% 30.7% CAH
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 65/100 70/100 57/100 AMRX

Percentile Scorecard

CAHAMRXMCK

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCAHAMRXMCK
Valuation 75 #7 of 25 91 #55 of 625 50 #13 of 25
Growth 78 #6 of 24 74 #157 of 602 65 #9 of 24
Profitability 57 #11 of 24 84 #88 of 551 61 #10 of 24
Financial Health 36 #17 of 26 12 #580 of 656 52 #13 of 26
Shareholder Returns 79 #4 of 15 88 #46 of 365 57 #7 of 15
Overall 65 70 57
  • CAH ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors
  • AMRX ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • MCK ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCAHAMRXMCKSPY
1 month +11.9%+8.4%+11.6% -0.2%
3 months +6.1%+14.3%+8.7% +3.9%
6 months +19.9%+68.4%+15.8% +8.2%
Year to date +20.0%+70.2%+17.9% +12.9%
1 year +50.5%+109.2%+19.2% +12.3%
3 years +169.7%+468.7%+115.8% +87.4%
3 years, per year +39.2%+78.6%+29.3% +23.3%
5 years +416.6%+293.4%+371.7% +67.9%
5 years, per year +38.9%+31.5%+36.4% +10.9%
10 years +229.5%—+502.5% +261.1%
10 years, per year +12.7%—+19.7% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCAHAMRXMCKSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.4%35.0%30.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 24.6%31.0%27.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.100.70-0.27 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.723.120.62 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -21.0%-78.2%-27.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -4.3%0.0%-6.1% -1.2%
52-week high $257.54$21.44$1,030.18 $779.14
52-week low $162.79$10.00$725.17 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCAHAMRXMCK
P/E now vs peer median 33.9xmedian 23.9x 43.5xmedian 17.2x 25.0xmedian 23.9x
P/S now vs peer median 0.2xmedian 0.3x 2.2xmedian 9.0x 0.3xmedian 0.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.2xmedian 13.4x 14.1xmedian 16.3x 16.2xmedian 13.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.7xmedian 15.5x 82.4xmedian 18.7x 17.6xmedian 15.5x
P/B now vs peer median -19.9xmedian 2.5x 207.3xmedian 2.2x -26.6xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 0.49median 1.34 0.18median 0.33 2.09median 1.34

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCAHAMRXMCK
Revenue $254.25B $3.12B $410.98B
Gross profit $9.77B $1.23B $14.96B
Operating income $2.61B $453.92M $6.50B
Net income $1.72B $215.32M $5.30B
Free cash flow $4.53B $83.11M $6.42B
R&D – $175.57M –
EPS (diluted) $7.23 $0.48 $38.52
Cash & equivalents $4.86B $127.64M $5.16B
Total debt $8.89B $2.67B $9.73B
Shares (diluted) 237.00M 328.10M 119.20M
Enterprise value $41.55B $5.94B $97.77B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCAHAMRXMCK
P/E 33.9x 43.5x 25.0x
P/FCF 12.7x 82.4x 17.6x
P/Operating cash flow 11.1x 34.1x 16.5x
P/S 0.2x 2.2x 0.3x
P/B -19.9x 207.3x -26.6x
P/Tangible book -19.9x -12.3x -13.7x
EV/EBITDA 17.2x 14.1x 16.2x
EV/EBIT 23.5x 20.7x 18.1x
EV/Revenue 0.2x 3.0x 0.3x
EV/FCF 13.6x 113.0x 18.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.9x 46.8x 17.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.49 0.18 2.09

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCAHAMRXMCK
Revenue growth (1Y) 14.2% 9.3% 8.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.4% 10.5% 13.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 19.7% 14.1% 11.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 12.3% 14.9% 6.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) 14.9% 20.6% 46.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 50.2% 32.5% 13.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 9.8% 426.4% 58.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 63.8% 139.1% 10.7%
EPS growth (1Y) 12.1% 4,481% 52.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 69.2% 237.0% 12.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 115.9% -42.8% 4.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.1% 0.4% 10.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 144.6% -69.3% 6.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 24.2% -17.3% 11.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCAHAMRXMCK
Gross margin 3.8% 39.3% 3.6%
EBITDA margin 1.4% 21.3% 1.8%
Operating margin 1.0% 14.6% 1.6%
Pretax margin 0.9% 6.5% 1.6%
Net margin 0.7% 5.0% 1.1%
FCF margin 1.8% 2.7% 1.6%
Operating cash flow margin 2.0% 6.4% 1.7%
Return on equity – – –
Return on assets 3.0% 5.9% 6.2%
Return on invested capital 33.9% 17.4% 107.9%
Return on capital employed 20.0% 16.4% 43.4%
Asset turnover 4.5x 0.9x 4.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.0x 0.9x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.1% 1.1% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCAHAMRXMCK
Debt / assets 15.5% 70.7% 11.0%
Debt / equity -3.1x 80.9x -2.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 3.8x 0.6x
Debt / FCF 2.0x 32.1x 1.5x
Liabilities / assets 105.0% 99.1% 104.8%
Equity / assets -5.0% 0.9% -4.8%
Interest coverage 7.5x – 23.6x
Current ratio 0.9x 2.2x 0.9x
Quick ratio 0.4x 1.3x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.1x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 5.10 2.50 5.89

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCAHAMRXMCK
Dividend yield 0.8% – 0.4%
Net buyback yield 2.4% 0.0% 5.9%
Shareholder yield 3.2% 0.0% 6.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 28.5% – 7.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) 10.9% – 6.1%
Dividend growth (1Y) -0.6% – 11.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -2.2% – 10.0%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCAHAMRXMCK
Forward P/E 20.5xFY2027 22.1xFY2026 20.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.03FY2027 $0.97FY2026 $47.15FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +6.8%FY2027 +16.9%FY2026 +20.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.5% +26.8% +11.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $272.90BFY2027 $3.24BFY2026 $444.47BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.3%FY2027 +7.4%FY2026 +10.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.5% +12.4% +1.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCAHAMRXMCK
Held by institutions 87.4% 51.0% 89.1%
Institutions holding 1,491 310 2,009
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.8% +1.3% -0.7%
Institutions buying 711 182 881
Institutions selling 556 86 791
Buyers to sellers 1.28 2.12 1.11

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CAHAMRXMCK
CAH 1.00 0.12 0.66
AMRX 0.12 1.00 0.13
MCK 0.66 0.13 1.00

Add a Peer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAH, AMRX and MCK?

Mckesson (MCK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cardinal Health (CAH) $57.71B, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) $6.75B, Mckesson (MCK) $113.87B.

Which stock is cheaper, CAH, AMRX and MCK?

Mckesson (MCK) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cardinal Health (CAH) 33.7x, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) 42.9x, Mckesson (MCK) 24.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Cardinal Health (CAH) is cheapest (Cardinal Health (CAH) 20.5x, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) 22.1x, Mckesson (MCK) 20.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Cardinal Health (CAH) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cardinal Health (CAH) +14.2%, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) +9.3%, Mckesson (MCK) +8.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) has the highest net margin (Cardinal Health (CAH) 0.7%, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) 5.0%, Mckesson (MCK) 1.1%). On return on invested capital, Mckesson (MCK) leads (Cardinal Health (CAH) 33.9%, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) 17.4%, Mckesson (MCK) 107.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) returned the most: Cardinal Health (CAH) +50.5%, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) +109.2%, Mckesson (MCK) +19.2%. Over five years, Cardinal Health (CAH) compounded fastest (Cardinal Health (CAH) +38.9%/yr, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) +31.5%/yr, Mckesson (MCK) +36.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Cardinal Health (CAH) has the highest dividend yield: Cardinal Health (CAH) 0.01%, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) 0.00%, Mckesson (MCK) 0.00%. Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cardinal Health (CAH) has been the steadiest (Cardinal Health (CAH) 29.4%, Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX) 35.0%, Mckesson (MCK) 30.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CAH, AMRX and MCK?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Cardinal Health (CAH) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.