MCK vs CAH Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Compare McKesson and Cardinal Health by pharmaceutical distribution market share, specialty pharmacy growth, oncology services network, operating efficiency, and which drug wholesaler offers better long-term margin expansion.
Use this McKesson vs Cardinal Health comparison to evaluate the key differences across valuation, growth, profitability, and risk before making an investment decision.
MCK holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. CAH has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+44.07% vs +18.40%), though MCK has the better forward P/E setup (16.71x vs 18.99x for CAH). On fundamentals, CAH is growing revenue faster (11.00%), while MCK maintains the higher operating margin (2.21%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +11.81% for MCK and +9.22% for CAH.
| Metric | MCK | CAH |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 52.7 | 53.9 |
| AI rank | #343 | #310 |
| Latest close | $840.90 | $228.03 |
| 1M return | +9.70% | -2.14% |
| 6M return | +2.52% | +9.46% |
| 1Y return | +18.40% | +44.07% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | MCK | CAH |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $11.81K (+18.1%) started 2025-07-25 | $14.51K (+45.1%) started 2025-07-25 |
| 5Y ago | $43.4K (+334.0%) started 2021-07-26 | $47.03K (+370.3%) started 2021-07-26 |
| 10Y ago | $49.63K (+396.3%) started 2016-07-25 | $48.52K (+385.2%) started 2016-07-25 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | MCK | CAH |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $98.51B | $53.52B |
| Trailing P/E | 21.93 | 34.84 |
| Forward P/E | 16.71 | 18.99 |
| Price/Sales | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenue | 0.27 | 0.23 |
| Analyst target | $940.73 | $249.60 |
| Target upside | +11.81% | +9.22% |
| Metric | MCK | CAH |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 6.00% | 11.00% |
| Earnings growth | 37.20% | -19.50% |
| EPS growth | +37.20% | -19.50% |
| FCF margin | +1.40% | +1.93% |
| Operating margin | 2.21% | 1.41% |
| Profit margin | 1.18% | 0.62% |
| ROIC proxy | N/A | N/A |
| Return on equity | N/A | N/A |
| Dividend yield | 0.39% | 0.90% |
| Beta | 0.32 | 0.49 |
| Debt/equity | N/A | N/A |
| Current ratio | 0.85 | 0.91 |
| Quick ratio | 0.48 | 0.42 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | MCK | CAH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +18.13% | +45.11% |
| CAGR | +18.19% | +45.28% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.55 | 1.23 | |
| Max drawdown | 27.17% | 20.61% | |
| Max daily drop | 7.16% | 7.21% | |
| Max wkly drop | 10.23% | 7.55% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +324.50% | +325.38% |
| CAGR | +33.56% | +33.61% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.13 | 1.10 | |
| Max drawdown | 27.17% | 22.80% | |
| Max daily drop | 11.34% | 14.26% | |
| Max wkly drop | 14.15% | 15.70% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +360.78% | +258.74% |
| CAGR | +16.51% | +13.63% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.52 | 0.43 | |
| Max drawdown | 43.80% | 46.14% | |
| Max daily drop | 22.67% | 21.42% | |
| Max wkly drop | 22.93% | 20.86% |
| Category | MCK | CAH |
|---|---|---|
| Company | MCK | CAH |
| Sector | Healthcare | Healthcare |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | N/A | N/A |
| Investor focus | N/A | N/A |
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