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ALGN vs. CAH: Align vs. Cardinal Health Stock Comparison

How do Align (ALGN) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Align (ALGN) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
Profile ItemALGNCAH
NameAlign Technology Inc.Cardinal Health, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Equipment & SuppliesHealth Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care SuppliesHealth Care Distributors
Market Capitalization11.70 billion USD62.80 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJanuary 30, 2001August 4, 1983
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALGN
CAH
GSPC
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Align (ALGN) 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 Align (ALGN) and Cardinal Health (CAH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Align (ALGN) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALGNCAH
Total Return (1Y)27.43%35.44%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-2.84%40.52%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-24.73%43.73%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALGN
CAH
GSPC
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Align (ALGN) 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 Align (ALGN) and Cardinal Health (CAH). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Align (ALGN) has an aggressive beta of 1.67, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Cardinal Health (CAH) is defensive at 0.49 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Align (ALGN) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALGNCAH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)40.49%25.91%
Beta (5Y)1.670.49
Max Drawdown (5Y)-82.44%-20.95%
Avg. Volume (3M)942.14K1.77M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ALGN 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 Align (ALGN) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALGNCAH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.571.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.891.90

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Align (ALGN) earns 11.91% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Cardinal Health (CAH) has no ROE this period.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.91%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
ALGN
11.91%
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
--
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Align (ALGN) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): CAH does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; ALGN is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Align (ALGN) at 11.83% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.71%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.83%

Max
29.35%
ALGN
11.83%
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%
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Align (ALGN) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Align (ALGN) at 20.13% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Cardinal Health (CAH) at 1.34%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

20.13%

Max
35.43%
ALGN
20.13%
Q3
14.14%
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%
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Align (ALGN) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Align (ALGN) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALGNCAH
ROE (TTM)11.91%--
ROA (TTM)8.01%3.72%
Net Margin (TTM)11.83%0.71%
Operating Margin (TTM)20.13%1.34%
Gross Margin (TTM)71.53%3.90%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Cardinal Health (CAH) at 14.23% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Align (ALGN) at 0.90% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Align (ALGN) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Align (ALGN) at 0.53% and Cardinal Health (CAH) at 12.09% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Align (ALGN) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Align (ALGN) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALGNCAH
Revenue Growth (YoY)0.90%14.23%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)2.61%7.44%
EPS Growth (YoY)0.53%12.09%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)7.02%93.37%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Align (ALGN) at 1.43 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.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.43

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
ALGN
1.43
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
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Align (ALGN) 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: Align (ALGN) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03 against its industry range, while Cardinal Health (CAH) reports no figure this period.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.03

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
ALGN
0.03
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
--
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Align (ALGN) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): CAH does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; ALGN is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Align (ALGN) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALGNCAH
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.430.89
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.03--
Net Debt / EBITDA-1.040.81

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Align (ALGN) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Cardinal Health (CAH) reports a yield of 0.77%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

ALGN
0.00%
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%
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Align (ALGN) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Align (ALGN) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Cardinal Health (CAH) reports a payout of 26.56%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

ALGN
0.00%
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%
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Align (ALGN) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Align (ALGN) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALGNCAH
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.77%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%26.56%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Align (ALGN) at 24.20 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.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

24.20

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
ALGN
24.20
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
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Align (ALGN) 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 Align (ALGN) at 2.81 prices around its industry’s middle — CAH costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.81

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
ALGN
2.81
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
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Align (ALGN) 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 Align (ALGN) reports 2.73, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.73

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
ALGN
2.73
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
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Align (ALGN) 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 Align (ALGN) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALGNCAH
P/E Ratio (TTM)24.2035.15
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.810.24
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.73-20.84
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)4.90%7.99%