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CAH vs. UHS: Cardinal Health vs. Universal Health Services Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
Profile ItemCAHUHS
NameCardinal Health, Inc.Universal Health Services Inc. Class B Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Providers & ServicesHealth Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care DistributorsHealth Care Facilities
Market Capitalization62.80 billion USD11.52 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateAugust 4, 1983July 9, 1981
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CAH
UHS
GSPC
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS), 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 Universal Health Services (UHS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricCAHUHS
Total Return (1Y)35.44%-12.89%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)40.52%16.25%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)43.73%9.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CAH
UHS
GSPC
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS), 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 Universal Health Services (UHS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricCAHUHS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)25.91%34.26%
Beta (5Y)0.491.06
Max Drawdown (5Y)-20.95%-43.34%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.77M707.83K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CAH and UHS 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 Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricCAHUHS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.20-0.50
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.90-0.70

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Universal Health Services (UHS) earns 19.74% 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
--

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

19.74%

Max
47.61%
UHS
19.74%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): CAH does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; UHS is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.71% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 7.97% 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

7.97%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
UHS
7.97%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 1.34% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 9.60% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.60%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
UHS
9.60%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricCAHUHS
ROE (TTM)--19.74%
ROA (TTM)3.72%7.65%
Net Margin (TTM)0.71%7.97%
Operating Margin (TTM)1.34%9.60%
Gross Margin (TTM)3.90%44.51%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 14.23% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 9.71% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 37.34% 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 UHS.

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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricCAHUHS
Revenue Growth (YoY)14.23%9.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)7.44%9.03%
EPS Growth (YoY)12.09%37.34%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)93.37%36.21%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 1.37 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.

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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.37

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
UHS
1.37
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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: Universal Health Services (UHS) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80 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
--

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.80

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
UHS
0.80
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): CAH does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; UHS is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricCAHUHS
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.891.37
Debt / Equity (MRQ)--0.80
Net Debt / EBITDA0.812.27

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.77% and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.10% 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.10%

UHS
0.10%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) at 3.35% 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%

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.35%

UHS
3.35%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cardinal Health (CAH) and Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricCAHUHS
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.77%0.10%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)26.56%3.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Universal Health Services (UHS) at 8.18 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 UHS, 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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.18

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
UHS
8.18
Min
4.21
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.24 and Universal Health Services (UHS) at 0.63 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.63

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
UHS
0.63
Min
0.03
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Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS) reports 1.51, 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

UHS

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.51

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
UHS
1.51
Min
-1.31
Loading chart…
Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Universal Health Services (UHS): 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 Universal Health Services (UHS)
MetricCAHUHS
P/E Ratio (TTM)35.158.18
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.240.63
P/B Ratio (MRQ)-20.841.51
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)7.99%6.47%