AbbVie vs Cardinal Health: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
AbbVie reported $61.2B of revenue in FY2025 and $4.2B of net income. Cardinal Health reported $254.2B of revenue in FY2026 and $1.7B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
AbbVie
- Latest revenue
- $61.2B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $4.2B
- Net margin
- 6.9%
- Revenue growth
- +10.1% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Cardinal Health
- Latest revenue
- $254.2B (FY2026)
- Net income
- $1.7B
- Net margin
- 0.7%
- Revenue growth
- +7.7% a year, FY2017–FY2026
Financial summary
AbbVie
AbbVie reported $61.160 billion of FY2025 net revenue and $4.226 billion of net income. Skyrizi and Rinvoq generated $25.866 billion combined, while Humira declined to $4.540 billion after U.S. biosimilar entry. The 2020 Allergan acquisition added neuroscience and aesthetics revenue, and the 2024 ImmunoGen and Cerevel acquisitions added oncology and neuroscience assets.
Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health combines very large revenue with thin margins. Fiscal 2026 revenue was $254.2 billion, up 14% from $222.6 billion in fiscal 2025, driven by brand and specialty drug volume from existing customers. GAAP operating earnings were $2.6 billion, GAAP diluted EPS was $7.23, and net earnings attributable to Cardinal Health were about $1.7 billion. Non-GAAP diluted EPS rose 37% to $11.26 ($10.95 excluding the IEEPA tariff refund). Operating cash flow was $5.2 billion and adjusted free cash flow was $5.0 billion. The company repurchased $1.4 billion of stock in fiscal 2026 and the board added $5.0 billion to the buyback authorization in August 2026. Fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue was $63.7 billion, up 6%.
Revenue and profit by year
AbbVie
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $61.2B | $4.2B | 6.9% | +8.6% | Source |
| FY2024 | $56.3B | $4.3B | 7.6% | +3.7% | Source |
| FY2023 | $54.3B | $4.9B | 9.0% | -6.4% | Source |
| FY2022 | $58.1B | $11.8B | 20.4% | +3.3% | Source |
| FY2021 | $56.2B | $11.5B | 20.5% | +22.7% | Source |
| FY2020 | $45.8B | $4.6B | 10.1% | +37.7% | Source |
| FY2019 | $33.3B | $7.9B | 23.7% | +1.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | $32.8B | $5.7B | 17.4% | +16.1% | Source |
| FY2017 | $28.2B | $5.3B | 18.8% | +10.1% | Source |
| FY2016 | $25.6B | $6B | 23.2% | — | Source |
Cardinal Health
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | $254.2B | $1.7B | 0.7% | +14.2% | Source |
| FY2025 | $222.6B | $1.6B | 0.7% | -1.9% | Source |
| FY2024 | $226.8B | $852M | 0.4% | +10.7% | Source |
| FY2023 | $205B | $330M | 0.2% | +13.0% | Source |
| FY2022 | $181.3B | -$938M | -0.5% | +11.6% | Source |
| FY2021 | $162.5B | $611M | 0.4% | +6.2% | Source |
| FY2020 | $152.9B | -$3.7B | -2.4% | +5.1% | Source |
| FY2019 | $145.5B | $1.4B | 0.9% | +6.4% | Source |
| FY2018 | $136.8B | $256M | 0.2% | +5.3% | Source |
| FY2017 | $130B | $1.3B | 1.0% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
AbbVie
- Immunology Portfolio49.7%
FY2025 revenue was $30.406 billion, led by Skyrizi, Rinvoq, and Humira.
- Neuroscience Portfolio17.6%
FY2025 revenue was $10.767 billion, including Vraylar, Botox Therapeutic, Ubrelvy, and Qulipta.
- Oncology Portfolio10.9%
FY2025 revenue was $6.655 billion, including Imbruvica, Venclexta, and Elahere.
- Aesthetics Portfolio7.9%
FY2025 revenue was $4.860 billion, including Botox Cosmetic and Juvederm.
- Other Products and Revenue13.9%
The remaining FY2025 revenue came from eye care, other specialty products, and other revenue.
Cardinal Health
- Pharmaceutical Distribution - Branded, Generic, and Specialty~92%
Product sales and fees from distributing branded, generic, and specialty drugs, plus services from specialty practice platforms. Fiscal 2026 segment revenue was $234.8 billion (up 15%) and segment profit was $2.8 billion (up 23%), driven by brand and specialty volume and generics program performance.
- Medical and Surgical Products Manufacturing and Distribution~5%
Sales of Cardinal Health-brand and national-brand medical, surgical, and laboratory products. Fiscal 2026 GMPD revenue was $12.7 billion and segment profit was $258 million, including a one-time $100 million IEEPA tariff refund benefit. Fiscal 2027 guidance calls for $200-$220 million of segment profit.
- Nuclear Pharmacy, at-Home Solutions, and Logistics~3%
Nuclear and Precision Health Solutions (radiopharmaceuticals), at-Home Solutions (direct-to-patient supplies), and OptiFreight Logistics. Together they generated $6.8 billion of fiscal 2026 revenue (up 26%) and $707 million of segment profit (up 37%), the highest margins in the company.
Business model and strategy
AbbVie
How it makes money
AbbVie earns revenue from global sales of prescription medicines and Allergan Aesthetics products. Its FY2025 portfolios were led by immunology at $30.406 billion, neuroscience at $10.767 billion, oncology at $6.655 billion, and aesthetics at $4.860 billion. The company funds internal research and supplements its pipeline through licensing and acquisitions.
Growth strategy
AbbVie is expanding approved uses and commercial reach for Skyrizi and Rinvoq while investing in oncology and neuroscience. ImmunoGen added Elahere and antibody-drug conjugate programs, Cerevel added clinical-stage neuroscience programs, and Allergan added Botox, Vraylar, migraine products, eye care, and aesthetics.
Competitive advantage
AbbVie's scale rests on its immunology portfolio, specialist commercial infrastructure, approved products across several therapeutic areas, and acquired oncology, neuroscience, and aesthetics assets. Those strengths are offset by patent-expiration, clinical-development, safety, reimbursement, and pricing risks described in its Form 10-K.
Cardinal Health
How it makes money
The business model is large, high-volume logistics divided into two segments: Pharmaceutical and Medical. In the Pharma segment, they buy billions of dollars of drugs from manufacturers (like Pfizer) and distribute them daily to tens of thousands of pharmacies and hospitals, taking a tiny markup.
Growth strategy
Cardinal Health's growth plan rests on three levers. First, specialty pharmaceuticals and physician practice platforms: it bought a 71% stake in GI Alliance for about $2.8 billion (announced November 2024) and funded The Specialty Alliance's roughly $1.9 billion acquisition of urology MSO Solaris Health (completed November 2025).
Competitive advantage
Cardinal Health's advantage is physical scale and regulatory standing. Moving regulated, temperature-sensitive drugs and biologics across the country overnight takes a network of specialized distribution centers and security procedures that cost billions of dollars and take decades to build. The barrier to entry is high, so drug distribution is concentrated among a few large companies.
Questions about AbbVie vs Cardinal Health
Which company has higher revenue — AbbVie Inc. or Cardinal Health, Inc.?
AbbVie Inc. reported $61.2B (FY2025), while Cardinal Health, Inc. reported $254.2B (FY2026). By last reported revenue, Cardinal Health, Inc. is the larger business, with AbbVie Inc. reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of AbbVie Inc. vs Cardinal Health, Inc.?
AbbVie Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $465.8B, while Cardinal Health, Inc.'s is $56.0B. AbbVie Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Cardinal Health, Inc..
Which is more financially efficient — AbbVie Inc. or Cardinal Health, Inc.?
AbbVie Inc. generates $1.07M / employee in revenue per employee, while Cardinal Health, Inc. generates $3.98M / employee. Cardinal Health, Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do AbbVie Inc. and Cardinal Health, Inc. make money?
AbbVie Inc. and Cardinal Health, Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. AbbVie Inc.: AbbVie earns revenue from global sales of prescription medicines and Allergan Aesthetics products. Cardinal Health, Inc.: The business model is large, high-volume logistics divided into two segments: Pharmaceutical and Medical.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — AbbVie Inc. or Cardinal Health, Inc.?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, AbbVie Inc. trades at 7.6x P/S and Cardinal Health, Inc. at 0.2x P/S. AbbVie Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Cardinal Health, Inc.. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is AbbVie Inc. bigger than Cardinal Health, Inc.?
By last reported revenue, Cardinal Health, Inc. ($254.2B (FY2026)) is the larger company compared to AbbVie Inc. ($61.2B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the AbbVie vs Cardinal Health overview