Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) - Company Profile - 2026-04-29

Company Overview

Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) is a United States-based healthcare services and products company. It operates two reportable segments: Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions, and Global Medical Products and Distribution. The company serves hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, and patients at home by distributing branded and generic pharmaceutical products, specialty medicines, and over-the-counter health products. It provides services to pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers for specialty products, pharmacy management services to hospitals, and operates community health center pharmacies. Cardinal Health also manufactures, sources, and distributes a range of Cardinal Health branded medical, surgical, and laboratory products and devices, including gloves, needles and sharps disposal, wound care and incontinence products, operating room supplies, and radiopharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, the company pursues integrated solutions across the healthcare supply chain.

Business and Operations

Cardinal Health operates through two primary segments:

• Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions: focuses on distributing branded and generic pharmaceuticals, specialty medicines, and related services to hospitals, pharmacies, and other healthcare providers; provides logistics and support for specialty products and repackaging of generic medications.
• Global Medical Products and Distribution: manufactures and distributes Cardinal Health branded medical, surgical, and laboratory products and devices, including gloves, surgical disposables, wound care, urology and OR supplies, as well as sterile and non-sterile procedure kits. The company also distributes national brand medical, surgical, and laboratory products and offers supply chain services and solutions; it arranges radiopharmaceuticals manufacturing and delivery; and seeks to optimize direct shipments through integrated technology solutions. Cardinal Health serves hospitals, ambulatory centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, pharmacies, and home-care patients, positioning itself as a diversified healthcare distribution and services provider with an expansive product portfolio and supply-chain capabilities.

Fundamental Metrics

• Market cap: $47.73B
• Enterprise value: $54.82B
• P/E (trailing): 29.18
• P/E (forward): 17.51
• P/B: -16.60
• [P/S](https://aksoycapital.com/glossary/price-to-sales-ps.html): 0.20
• PEG: 1.32
• Profit margin: 0.68%
• Operating margin: 1.23%
• ROE: n/a
• [ROA](https://aksoycapital.com/glossary/return-on-assets-roa.html): 3.50%
• Debt/Equity: n/a
• [Current ratio](https://aksoycapital.com/glossary/current-ratio.html): 0.91
• Revenue (TTM): $244.67B
• Revenue growth (YoY): 18.80%
• Earnings growth (YoY): 19.40%
• Free cash flow: $5.44B
• Dividend yield: 99.00%
• Payout ratio: 29.32%
• Beta: 0.65

Share Structure and Ownership

• Shares outstanding: 235,316,016.00
• Float: 234,854,797.00
• Insider held: 0.26%
• Institutional held: 90.51%
• Short ratio (days to cover): 3.53
• Short % of float: 2.89%

Top institutional holders:

• Vanguard Group Inc: 13.36% of shares
• BlackRock Inc.: 12.17% of shares
• State Street Corporation: 5.32% of shares
• Geode Capital Management, LLC: 2.77% of shares
• Wellington Management Group, LLP: 2.20% of shares

Trading Activity

• Last close: $202.82 on 2026-04-29
• 1-month change: -1.69%
• 3-month change: -3.84%
• Year-to-date change: -1.41%
• 1-year change: +43.55%
• 52-week high: $233.60
• 52-week low: $136.71
• [Drawdown](https://aksoycapital.com/glossary/drawdown.html) from 52W high: -13.18%
• 30-day average volume: 1,663,592
• 90-day average volume: 1,710,057

Recent Price Action

As of 2026-04-29, Cardinal Health traded at $202.82, within a 52-week range of $136.71 to $233.60. The stock has risen about 43.55% over the last year, with a more modest year-to-date performance (~-1.41%). The 52-week high-to-low movement indicates periods of volatility within the year, and recent daily trading volumes are in the mid-single-digit millions, with 30- and 90-day averages just over 1.6 million shares.

Strengths

• Diversified business model across two segments, combining pharmaceutical distribution and medical products with related services.
• Large and ongoing revenue base, evidenced by TTM revenue of $244.67B.
• Notable free cash flow generation, reported at $5.44B.
• Moderate to low market beta (0.65), suggesting relatively lower equity market volatility.
• High institutional ownership (about 90.51%), with several leading asset managers as major holders.
• Substantial float relative to shares outstanding, which can influence liquidity.
• Positive long-term earnings growth indicators ( YoY earnings growth 19.40% ) and revenue growth (YoY 18.80%).

Considerations

• Current ratio of 0.91 indicates potential liquidity considerations relative to short-term obligations.
• P/B is negative (-16.60), which is an unusual presentation and may reflect accounting factors or data specifics.
• Dividend yield listed at 99.00% is exceptionally high for a large-cap company and warrants verification against standard dividend measures.
• Profit margin (0.68%) and operating margin (1.23%) are relatively modest, suggesting limited margin leverage.
• P/E trailing of 29.18 vs. forward P/E of 17.51 indicates multiple compression expectations; company-specific factors may be driving earnings multiple changes.
• 52-week drawdown from the high of 13.18% indicates some price-corrective behavior from recent highs.
• Debt/Equity metric is not provided, limiting a complete view of leverage; other balance-sheet indicators would be needed for a fuller assessment.
• The company’s exposure to healthcare policy, payer mix, and supply-chain dynamics can influence performance, though these factors are not quantified here.

Summary

Cardinal Health, Inc. is a U.S.-based healthcare services and products company with two main segments: Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions, and Global Medical Products and Distribution. As of 2026-04-29, it reports a market cap of about $47.7 billion, TTM revenue of roughly $244.7 billion, and free cash flow near $5.44 billion, with a current stock price of $202.82. The shareholder base is highly institutional, and the stock trades within a 52-week range of $136.71 to $233.60, having a one-year price increase of about 43.55%. The data reflect balance-sheet and liquidity indicators such as a current ratio of 0.91 and an unusual P/B figure of -16.60.