COMPARE · Reviewed August 3, 2026
CAH vs COR
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CAH scored 58.7, COR scored 65.7 — COR leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. COR's fundamentals are as of March 2026, but CAH's are as of December 2025 — a 3-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
CAH
Cardinal Health, Inc.
58.7
$233.56 · $54.7B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
7.0
COR leads
COR
Cencora, Inc.
65.7
$305.19 · $59.4B
fundamentals as of
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
CAH
stronger →← stronger
COR
50
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
64
79
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
76
52
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
59
COR is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CAH
COR
$5.5bB+
FCF
$1.6bC+
+10.1%B
Rev
+5.9%C+
—
D/E
4.21D
35.7xC+
P/E
23.4xB+
1.42B
PEG
0.66A-
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
CAH
COR
66% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
42% above
~-16%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~16%/yr
+158%
1-yr DCF upside
-37%
+190%
5-yr DCF upside
-30%
+247%
10-yr DCF upside
-17%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
CAH
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Short track record
COR
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
- Durable high returns
The companies
CAHCardinal Health, Inc.
Why now
Medical Distribution · market cap $54.7b. 4% off the 52-week high of $243.21. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 15 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $252.40 (implying +8% upside).
Moat
Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income — non-cash charges (depreciation, intangible amortization) are holding down GAAP earnings while cash generation stays strong. $54.7b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Trailing P/E 36x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates. Net margin 0.7% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first. ROE -58% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
CORCencora, Inc.
Why now
Medical Distribution · market cap $59.4b. 19% off the 52-week high of $377.54. PEG 0.66 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 12 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $356.67 (implying +17% upside).
Moat
ROE 75% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. $59.4b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
D/E 4.21 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Net margin 0.8% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.