Cardinal Healthvs.CVS Health
CAH vs CVS · both in Distribution & pharmacy infrastructure, part of the Medicine, pharma & life science value chain: Wholesalers, distribution and pharmacy chains that get medicines to patients.
CVS Health is about 2.0× larger than Cardinal Health by market cap; CVS Health trades at the lower P/E (22.9 vs 32.1); year to date, Cardinal Health leads (+16.3% vs +10.6%).
Supply-chain link: Cardinal Health supplies CVS Health.
Side by side
| CAH | CVS | |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $55B | $112B |
| Price | $237.57 | $86.16 |
| Today | −0.6% | −1.9% |
| Return YTD | +16.3% | +10.6% |
| Return 1Y | +51.5% | +14.1% |
| Since June 26, 2026 | −0.1% | −17.4% |
| P/E | 32.1 | 22.9 |
| P/S | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| P/B | 55.1 | 1.4 |
Data as of 2026-10-09 · updates daily after U.S. close
Since June 26, 2026: the change in the closing price, from the daily closes Sectivia records itself since that date.
The two companies
Cardinal HealthCAH
Two businesses sit under one roof. One distributes medicines through the healthcare system, the other manufactures medical products and consumables, with pharmacy services alongside.
Full CAH profile →CVS HealthCVS
The retail pharmacies are the visible part. Behind them sit Aetna, the group's health insurance arm, and Caremark, its pharmacy benefit manager. The same company can dispense a prescription and insure the patient who receives it.
Full CVS profile →More CAH & CVS comparisons
Other head-to-heads in the Distribution & pharmacy infrastructure segment.