COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
CAH vs MCK
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CAH scored 63.3, MCK scored 65.6 — MCK leads.
Compare another set
CAH
Cardinal Health, Inc.
63.3
$229.96 · $53.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
2.3
MCK leads
MCK
McKesson Corporation
65.6
$858.90 · $100.1B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestMCK23.0x
- Fastest growthCAH+14.2%
- Highest qualityMCK55 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueCAH-61%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
CAH
stronger →← stronger
MCK
50
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
55
84
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
79
60
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
65
MCK is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CAH
MCK
$4.5bB
FCF
$6.4bB+
+14.2%B+
Rev
+8.8%B
31.8xB
P/E
23.0xB+
1.20B+
PEG
1.61C+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
CAH
MCK
61% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
15% below
~-12%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~4%/yr
+121%
1-yr DCF upside
+4%
+157%
5-yr DCF upside
+18%
+222%
10-yr DCF upside
+43%
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
MCK
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Raising its dividend
The companies
CAHCardinal Health, Inc.
Why now
Medical Distribution · market cap $53.5b. 11% off the 52-week high of $258.30. Revenue growing +14%, comfortably above the S&P median. 16 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $270.94 (implying +18% 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. $53.5b 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 32x 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 -59% 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.
MCKMcKesson Corporation
Why now
Medical Distribution · market cap $100.1b. 14% off the 52-week high of $999.00. 16 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $986.94 (implying +15% upside).
Moat
FCF converts 140% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined. $100.1b 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
Net margin 1.1% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first. ROE -108% 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.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
MCK leads CAH by 1.1 points (64.4 to 63.3), its sharpest advantage coming in FCF (grade B+). A contrarian could still prefer CAH, which trades about 61% below our DCF fair value — a margin of safety the score doesn't reward.
Our AI analyst is busy right now, so this verdict is drawn directly from the pillars, grades and DCF above.
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.
Where CAH and MCK diverge
On the headline score the gap is 2.3 points in favor of MCK. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- GrowthCAH 84.4 · MCK 79.0CAH +5.4
- QualityCAH 50.1 · MCK 55.0MCK +4.9
- ValueCAH 60.1 · MCK 64.9MCK +4.8
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.