CAH vs. IDXX: Cardinal Health vs. IDEXX Laboratories Stock Comparison
How do Cardinal Health (CAH) and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but CAH is classified in Health Care Providers & Services while IDXX is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies.
| Profile Item | CAH | IDXX |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Cardinal Health, Inc. | IDEXX Laboratories, 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 Equipment & Supplies |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Health Care Distributors | Health Care Equipment |
| Market Capitalization | 62.80 billion USD | 53.26 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | NYSE | Nasdaq |
| Listing Date | August 4, 1983 | June 21, 1991 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | CAH | IDXX |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | 35.44% | -1.84% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 40.52% | 18.42% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | 43.73% | 2.02% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) has an aggressive beta of 1.44, 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.
| Metric | CAH | IDXX |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 25.91% | 37.02% |
| Beta (5Y) | 0.49 | 1.44 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -20.95% | -50.91% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 1.77M | 564.80K |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | CAH | IDXX |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | 1.20 | -0.17 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | 1.90 | -0.28 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Capital efficiency shows on one side only: IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) earns 68.93% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Cardinal Health (CAH) has no ROE this period.
CAH
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
--
- Max
- 47.61%
- Q3
- 14.36%
- Median
- 5.45%
- Q1
- -10.67%
- Min
- -47.01%
- CAH
- --
IDXX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
68.93%
- IDXX
- 68.93%
- Max
- 47.61%
- Q3
- 14.36%
- Median
- 5.45%
- Q1
- -10.67%
- Min
- -47.01%
Net Margin (TTM)
IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 25.36% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.71%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.
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%
IDXX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
25.36%
- Max
- 29.35%
- IDXX
- 25.36%
- Q3
- 9.33%
- Median
- 2.18%
- Q1
- -6.29%
- Min
- -28.46%
Operating Margin (TTM)
IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 33.14% 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%
IDXX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
33.14%
- Max
- 35.43%
- IDXX
- 33.14%
- Q3
- 14.14%
- Median
- 6.81%
- Q1
- -0.28%
- Min
- -16.29%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | CAH | IDXX |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | -- | 68.93% |
| ROA (TTM) | 3.72% | 26.70% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 0.71% | 25.36% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 1.34% | 33.14% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | 3.90% | 62.72% |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 14.23% and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 10.42% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.
EPS Growth
Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 12.09% and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 22.59% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | CAH | IDXX |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 14.23% | 10.42% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 7.44% | 8.52% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | 12.09% | 22.59% |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | 93.37% | 17.66% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.89 and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 1.19 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
IDXX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
1.19
- Max
- 7.59
- Q3
- 4.00
- Median
- 1.98
- Q1
- 1.37
- IDXX
- 1.19
- Min
- 0.30
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
Only one side’s leverage can be read here: IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52 against its industry range, while Cardinal Health (CAH) reports no figure this period.
CAH
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
--
- Max
- 1.88
- Q3
- 0.91
- Median
- 0.58
- Q1
- 0.16
- Min
- 0.00
- CAH
- --
IDXX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.52
- Max
- 1.88
- Q3
- 0.91
- Median
- 0.58
- IDXX
- 0.52
- Q1
- 0.16
- Min
- 0.00
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | CAH | IDXX |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 0.89 | 1.19 |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | -- | 0.52 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 0.81 | 0.46 |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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.
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%
IDXX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.00%
- IDXX
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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.
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%
IDXX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
0.00%
- IDXX
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | CAH | IDXX |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.77% | 0.00% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 26.56% | 0.00% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 35.15 and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 45.56 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.
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
IDXX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
45.56
- Max
- 80.41
- Q3
- 47.62
- IDXX
- 45.56
- Median
- 29.93
- Q1
- 21.19
- Min
- 4.21
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.24 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 11.42 prices above its industry range — a wide gap in sales valuation between them.
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
IDXX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
11.42
- IDXX
- 11.42
- Max
- 8.80
- Q3
- 4.32
- Median
- 2.13
- Q1
- 1.10
- Min
- 0.03
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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) reports 28.50, ranking against industry peers normally.
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
IDXX
Health Care Equipment & Services industry group
28.50
- IDXX
- 28.50
- Max
- 11.68
- Q3
- 6.12
- Median
- 3.00
- Q1
- 1.73
- Min
- -1.31
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | CAH | IDXX |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 35.15 | 45.56 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 0.24 | 11.42 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | -20.84 | 28.50 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | 7.99% | 2.00% |