MCK vs CAH vs BTSG Stock Comparison

Mckesson, Cardinal Health and BrightSpring Health Services Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MCK Mckesson Corp
$1,001.01 +13.6% 1M +26.2% 1Y
Market cap
$117.56B
P/E
25.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$410.98B
Div. yield
0.00%
Drug Distribution Healthcare
4 wins
CAH Cardinal Health Inc
$249.64 +12.8% 1M +56.8% 1Y
Market cap
$59.43B
P/E
34.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$254.25B
Div. yield
0.01%
Drug Distribution Healthcare
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionMCKCAHBTSGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $117.56B $59.43B $12.13B MCK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 25.6x 34.7x 33.1x MCK
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 21.2x 20.8x 34.7x CAH
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.8% +14.2% +26.4% BTSG
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 1.1% 0.7% 2.5% BTSG
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 107.9% 33.9% 8.6% MCK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 1.1x 2.6x MCK
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% CAH
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +26.2% +56.8% +79.4% BTSG
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +36.8%/yr +38.2%/yr — CAH
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.6% 29.4% 44.5% CAH
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 60/100 68/100 62/100 CAH

Percentile Scorecard

MCKCAHBTSG

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

AxisMCKCAHBTSG
Valuation 54 #12 of 25 79 #6 of 25 65 #33 of 93
Growth 65 #9 of 24 78 #6 of 24 93 #7 of 88
Profitability 65 #9 of 24 70 #8 of 24 56 #39 of 87
Financial Health 52 #13 of 26 36 #17 of 26 41 #59 of 100
Shareholder Returns 63 #7 of 17 75 #5 of 17 56 #25 of 56
Overall 60 68 62
  • MCK ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors
  • CAH ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors
  • BTSG ranked among 103 companies in Healthcare Providers

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMCKCAHBTSGSPY
1 month +13.6%+12.8%+7.8% -1.0%
3 months +19.1%+9.5%-17.6% +2.9%
6 months +20.9%+24.9%+24.8% +6.4%
Year to date +22.0%+21.5%+60.5% +11.4%
1 year +26.2%+56.8%+79.4% +13.1%
3 years +121.4%+167.2%— +79.4%
3 years, per year +30.4%+38.8%— +21.5%
5 years +378.7%+403.6%— +67.7%
5 years, per year +36.8%+38.2%— +10.9%
10 years +521.6%+232.2%— +255.2%
10 years, per year +20.1%+12.8%— +13.5%

Risk

MeasureMCKCAHBTSGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.6%29.4%44.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.4%24.5%51.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.25-0.081.31 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.861.941.78 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -27.2%-21.0%-35.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.8%-3.1%-17.6% -2.5%
52-week high $1,030.18$257.54$72.91 $779.14
52-week low $725.17$159.16$31.36 $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.

MultipleMCKCAHBTSG
P/E now vs peer median 25.9xmedian 24.5x 34.4xmedian 24.5x 33.8xmedian 25.3x
P/S now vs peer median 0.3xmedian 0.3x 0.2xmedian 0.3x 0.8xmedian 1.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 16.7xmedian 14.4x 17.4xmedian 14.4x 21.8xmedian 14.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 18.2xmedian 15.8x 12.8xmedian 15.8x 29.5xmedian 22.7x
P/B now vs peer median -27.5xmedian 2.5x -20.1xmedian 2.5x 5.8xmedian 3.3x
PEG now vs peer median 2.16median 1.35 0.50median 1.35 —median 0.66

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 monthsMCKCAHBTSG
Revenue $410.98B $254.25B $14.37B
Gross profit $14.96B $9.77B $1.78B
Operating income $6.50B $2.61B $447.80M
Net income $5.30B $1.72B $365.85M
Free cash flow $6.42B $4.53B $402.35M
EPS (diluted) $38.52 $7.23 $1.66
Cash & equivalents $5.16B $4.86B $550.38M
Total debt $9.73B $8.89B $9.71B
Shares (diluted) 119.20M 237.00M 220.28M
Enterprise value $101.45B $43.27B $10.46B

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
MetricMCKCAHBTSG
P/E 25.9x 34.4x 33.8x
P/FCF 18.2x 12.8x 29.5x
P/Operating cash flow 17.0x 11.2x 23.4x
P/S 0.3x 0.2x 0.8x
P/B -27.5x -20.1x 5.8x
P/Tangible book -14.1x -20.1x 7.7x
EV/EBITDA 16.7x 17.4x 21.8x
EV/EBIT 18.7x 23.8x 30.2x
EV/Revenue 0.3x 0.2x 0.9x
EV/FCF 18.9x 13.7x 33.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.7x 12.0x 26.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.16 0.50 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMCKCAHBTSG
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.8% 14.2% 26.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 13.1% 7.4% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.2% 19.7% 29.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.6% 12.3% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 46.6% 14.9% 143.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.5% 50.2% –
Net income growth (1Y) 58.1% 9.8% 472.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 10.7% 63.8% –
EPS growth (1Y) 52.8% 12.1% 448.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 12.0% 69.2% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 4.7% 115.9% 88.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.7% 22.1% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 6.8% 144.6% 110.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.3% 24.2% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMCKCAHBTSG
Gross margin 3.6% 3.8% 12.4%
EBITDA margin 1.8% 1.4% 4.3%
Operating margin 1.6% 1.0% 3.1%
Pretax margin 1.6% 0.9% 2.1%
Net margin 1.1% 0.7% 2.5%
FCF margin 1.6% 1.8% 2.8%
Operating cash flow margin 1.7% 2.0% 3.5%
Return on equity – – 18.2%
Return on assets 6.2% 3.0% 6.0%
Return on invested capital 107.9% 33.9% 8.6%
Return on capital employed 43.4% 20.0% 9.9%
Asset turnover 4.8x 4.5x 2.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 3.0x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.1% 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMCKCAHBTSG
Debt / assets 11.0% 15.5% 36.6%
Debt / equity -2.3x -3.1x 1.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 1.1x 2.6x
Debt / FCF 1.5x 2.0x 5.4x
Liabilities / assets 104.8% 105.0% 65.8%
Equity / assets -4.8% -5.0% 34.2%
Interest coverage 23.6x 7.5x 2.9x
Current ratio 0.9x 0.9x 1.6x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.4x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.1x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 5.91 5.11 4.65

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMCKCAHBTSG
Dividend yield 0.3% 0.8% –
Net buyback yield 5.7% 2.3% 0.6%
Shareholder yield 6.0% 3.2% 0.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 7.4% 28.5% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 6.1% 10.9% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 11.3% -0.6% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 10.0% -2.2% –

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.

ConsensusMCKCAHBTSG
Forward P/E 21.2xFY2026 20.8xFY2027 34.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $47.14FY2026 $12.00FY2027 $1.73FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +20.5%FY2026 +6.6%FY2027 +73.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.1% +13.7% +41.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $444.51BFY2026 $272.89BFY2027 $15.99BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.2%FY2026 +7.3%FY2027 +23.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.4% -3.5% +1.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMCKCAHBTSG
Held by institutions 89.1% 87.4% 100.0%
Institutions holding 2,007 1,491 421
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.7% +2.8% -0.7%
Institutions buying 879 711 309
Institutions selling 791 556 83
Buyers to sellers 1.11 1.28 3.72

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.

MCKCAHBTSG
MCK 1.00 0.66 0.05
CAH 0.66 1.00 0.07
BTSG 0.05 0.07 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MCK, CAH and BTSG?

Mckesson (MCK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Mckesson (MCK) $117.56B, Cardinal Health (CAH) $59.43B, BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) $12.13B.

Which stock is cheaper, MCK, CAH and BTSG?

Mckesson (MCK) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Mckesson (MCK) 25.6x, Cardinal Health (CAH) 34.7x, BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) 33.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Cardinal Health (CAH) is cheapest (Mckesson (MCK) 21.2x, Cardinal Health (CAH) 20.8x, BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) 34.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Mckesson (MCK) +8.8%, Cardinal Health (CAH) +14.2%, BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) +26.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) has the highest net margin (Mckesson (MCK) 1.1%, Cardinal Health (CAH) 0.7%, BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) 2.5%). On return on invested capital, Mckesson (MCK) leads (Mckesson (MCK) 107.9%, Cardinal Health (CAH) 33.9%, BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) 8.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) returned the most: Mckesson (MCK) +26.2%, Cardinal Health (CAH) +56.8%, BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) +79.4%. Over five years, Cardinal Health (CAH) compounded fastest (Mckesson (MCK) +36.8%/yr, Cardinal Health (CAH) +38.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Cardinal Health (CAH) has the highest dividend yield: Mckesson (MCK) 0.00%, Cardinal Health (CAH) 0.01%, BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) 0.00%. BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cardinal Health (CAH) has been the steadiest (Mckesson (MCK) 30.6%, Cardinal Health (CAH) 29.4%, BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) 44.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.