CAH vs. HCA: Cardinal Health vs. HCA Healthcare Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA) 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

Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA) both belong to the Health Care Providers & Services industry, though CAH is classified under Health Care Distributors while HCA falls under Health Care Facilities.

Company profile comparison for Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Profile Item	CAH	HCA
Name	Cardinal Health, Inc.	HCA Healthcare, 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 Providers & Services	Health Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Distributors	Health Care Facilities
Market Capitalization	62.80 billion USD	103.40 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 4, 1983	March 10, 2011
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAH

HCA

GSPC

Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA), 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 Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Metric	CAH	HCA
Total Return (1Y)	35.44%	6.56%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	40.52%	31.39%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	43.73%	16.40%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAH

HCA

GSPC

Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA), 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 Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Metric	CAH	HCA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.91%	32.89%
Beta (5Y)	0.49	1.07
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-20.95%	-39.49%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.77M	1.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CAH and HCA 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 Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Metric	CAH	HCA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.20	0.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.90	0.11

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Neither Cardinal Health (CAH) nor HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports a ROE value for this period, so a direct comparison isn’t possible.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

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

Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): Neither stock reports ROE, so the chart shows available benchmark boxes without value markers.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.71% and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 8.61% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.61%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
HCA: 8.61%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 14.83% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Cardinal Health (CAH) at 1.34%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

14.83%

Max: 35.43%
HCA: 14.83%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Metric	CAH	HCA
ROE (TTM)	--	--
ROA (TTM)	3.72%	12.23%
Net Margin (TTM)	0.71%	8.61%
Operating Margin (TTM)	1.34%	14.83%
Gross Margin (TTM)	3.90%	42.76%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 14.23% and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 7.08% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 28.77% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Cardinal Health (CAH) at 12.09% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for HCA.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Metric	CAH	HCA
Revenue Growth (YoY)	14.23%	7.08%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.44%	7.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)	12.09%	28.77%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	93.37%	13.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.89 and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 0.82 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.82

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
HCA: 0.82
Min: 0.30

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Neither Cardinal Health (CAH) nor HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports a debt-to-equity ratio value for this period, so a direct comparison isn’t possible.

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

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

Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): Neither stock reports debt-to-equity ratio, so the chart shows available benchmark boxes without value markers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Metric	CAH	HCA
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.89	0.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.81	3.26

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.77% and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 0.60% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

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%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.60%

HCA: 0.60%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 26.56% and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 10.15% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

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%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.15%

HCA: 10.15%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Metric	CAH	HCA
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.77%	0.60%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	26.56%	10.15%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 16.42 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Cardinal Health (CAH) at 35.15 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for HCA, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

16.42

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
HCA: 16.42
Min: 4.21

Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 1.31 prices around its industry’s middle — CAH costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.31

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
HCA: 1.31
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at -20.84 and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at -12.92 report negative P/B ratio values, meaning both companies have negative book equity — neither multiple is meaningful for valuation.

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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-12.92

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31
HCA: -12.92

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Metric	CAH	HCA
P/E Ratio (TTM)	35.15	16.42
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.24	1.31
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	-20.84	-12.92
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	7.99%	3.81%