ABT vs. CAH: Abbott Laboratories vs. Cardinal Health Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but ABT is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies while CAH is classified in Health Care Providers & Services.

Company profile comparison for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
Profile Item	ABT	CAH
Name	Abbott Laboratories	Cardinal Health, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Health Care Equipment & Services	Health Care Equipment & Services
GICS Industry	Health Care Equipment & Supplies	Health Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Equipment	Health Care Distributors
Market Capitalization	190.39 billion USD	62.80 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	August 4, 1983
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ABT

CAH

GSPC

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
Metric	ABT	CAH
Total Return (1Y)	-10.78%	35.44%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	7.79%	40.52%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-0.79%	43.73%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ABT

CAH

GSPC

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
Metric	ABT	CAH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.48%	25.91%
Beta (5Y)	0.53	0.49
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-39.64%	-20.95%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.74M	1.77M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ABT and CAH are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
Metric	ABT	CAH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.53	1.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.76	1.90

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Abbott Laboratories (ABT) earns 9.14% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Cardinal Health (CAH) has no ROE this period.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.14%

Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
ABT: 9.14%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%
CAH: --

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): CAH does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; ABT is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 9.75% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.71%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.75%

Max: 29.35%
ABT: 9.75%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.71%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
CAH: 0.71%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 11.66% and Cardinal Health (CAH) at 1.34% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.66%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
ABT: 11.66%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.34%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
CAH: 1.34%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
Metric	ABT	CAH
ROE (TTM)	9.14%	--
ROA (TTM)	4.90%	3.72%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.75%	0.71%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.66%	1.34%
Gross Margin (TTM)	57.17%	3.90%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 5.67% and Cardinal Health (CAH) at 14.23% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Cardinal Health (CAH) at 12.09% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at -51.31% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
Metric	ABT	CAH
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.67%	14.23%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.51%	7.44%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-51.31%	12.09%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.65%	93.37%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 1.46 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.89 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CAH.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.46

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
ABT: 1.46
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.89

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
CAH: 0.89
Min: 0.30

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Abbott Laboratories (ABT) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61 against its industry range, while Cardinal Health (CAH) reports no figure this period.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.61

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
ABT: 0.61
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00
CAH: --

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): CAH does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; ABT is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
Metric	ABT	CAH
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.46	0.89
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.61	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.37	0.81

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 2.22% and Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.77% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.22%

ABT: 2.22%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.77%

CAH: 0.77%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 92.54% and Cardinal Health (CAH) at 26.56% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

92.54%

ABT: 92.54%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

26.56%

CAH: 26.56%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
Metric	ABT	CAH
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.22%	0.77%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	92.54%	26.56%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 41.02 and Cardinal Health (CAH) at 35.15 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

41.02

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
ABT: 41.02
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

35.15

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
CAH: 35.15
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.24 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 3.95 prices around its industry’s middle — CAH costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.95

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
ABT: 3.95
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.24

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
CAH: 0.24
Min: 0.03

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Cardinal Health (CAH) reports a negative P/B ratio of -20.84, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Abbott Laboratories (ABT) reports 3.73, ranking against industry peers normally.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.73

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
ABT: 3.73
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-20.84

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31
CAH: -20.84

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
Metric	ABT	CAH
P/E Ratio (TTM)	41.02	35.15
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.95	0.24
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.73	-20.84
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.19%	7.99%