Cardinal Health vs Johnson & Johnson: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Cardinal Health reported $254.2B of revenue in FY2026 and $1.7B of net income. Johnson & Johnson reported $94.2B of revenue in FY2025 and $26.8B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Cardinal Health
- Latest revenue
- $254.2B (FY2026)
- Net income
- $1.7B
- Net margin
- 0.7%
- Revenue growth
- +7.7% a year, FY2017–FY2026
Johnson & Johnson
- Latest revenue
- $94.2B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $26.8B
- Net margin
- 28.5%
- Revenue growth
- +3.0% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Financial summary
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%.
Johnson & Johnson
J&J's sales grew from $85.2 billion in 2023 to $88.8 billion in 2024 and $94.2 billion in 2025, while FY2025 net earnings reached $26.8 billion. Q2 2026 sales were $25.31 billion (Innovative Medicine $16.38 billion, MedTech $8.93 billion), net earnings were $5.53 billion, adjusted EPS was $2.90, and first-half free cash flow was about $8.7 billion. Management guides 2026 sales of $100.8 to $101.4 billion and adjusted EPS of $11.60 to $11.75. The company has raised its dividend for more than 60 consecutive years, and its market value was roughly $644 billion in mid-September 2026.
Revenue and profit by year
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 |
Johnson & Johnson
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $94.2B | $26.8B | 28.5% | +6.0% | Source |
| FY2024 | $88.8B | $14.1B | 15.8% | +4.3% | Source |
| FY2023 | $85.2B | $35.2B | 41.3% | +6.5% | Source |
| FY2022 | $80B | $17.9B | 22.4% | +1.6% | Source |
| FY2021 | $78.7B | $20.9B | 26.5% | -4.7% | Source |
| FY2020 | $82.6B | $14.7B | 17.8% | +0.6% | Source |
| FY2019 | $82.1B | $15.1B | 18.4% | +0.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | $81.6B | $15.3B | 18.8% | +6.7% | Source |
| FY2017 | $76.5B | $1.3B | 1.7% | +6.3% | Source |
| FY2016 | $71.9B | $16.5B | 23.0% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
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.
Johnson & Johnson
- Innovative Medicine~64%
Innovative Medicine generated $60.401 billion in FY2025 sales across oncology, immunology, neuroscience, pulmonary hypertension, infectious disease, and cardiovascular/metabolism.
- MedTech~36%
MedTech generated $33.792 billion in FY2025 sales across surgery, orthopaedics, cardiovascular, and vision products.
Business model and strategy
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.
Johnson & Johnson
How it makes money
J&J makes money in two ways. Innovative Medicine (about 64% of FY2025 sales, $60.4 billion) sells patented prescription medicines to wholesalers, specialty pharmacies, hospitals, and governments; key products include DARZALEX for multiple myeloma, TREMFYA and STELARA in immunology, ERLEADA in prostate cancer, CARVYKTI cell therapy, and CAPLYTA, added through the 2025 Intra-Cellular Therapies deal.
Growth strategy
J&J is narrowing its portfolio toward higher-growth areas. It spun off consumer health as Kenvue in 2023, announced in October 2025 that it will separate its orthopaedics business as DePuy Synthes, and used acquisitions to refill its pipeline: Abiomed ($16.6 billion, 2022), Shockwave Medical ($13.1 billion, 2024), and Intra-Cellular Therapies ($14.6 billion, 2025).
Competitive advantage
J&J's edge is breadth plus balance-sheet strength. It runs one of the largest pharmaceutical R&D budgets in the industry, holds a AAA credit rating from S&P (one of only two US companies with that rating, alongside Microsoft), and sells into hospitals across pharmaceuticals and devices at the same time.
Questions about Cardinal Health vs Johnson & Johnson
Which company has higher revenue — Cardinal Health, Inc. or Johnson & Johnson?
Cardinal Health, Inc. reported $254.2B (FY2026), while Johnson & Johnson reported $94.2B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Cardinal Health, Inc. is the larger business, with Johnson & Johnson 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 Cardinal Health, Inc. vs Johnson & Johnson?
Cardinal Health, Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $56.0B, while Johnson & Johnson's is $643.9B. Johnson & Johnson carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Cardinal Health, Inc..
Which is more financially efficient — Cardinal Health, Inc. or Johnson & Johnson?
Cardinal Health, Inc. generates $3.98M / employee in revenue per employee, while Johnson & Johnson generates $669k / 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 Cardinal Health, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson make money?
Cardinal Health, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Cardinal Health, Inc.: The business model is large, high-volume logistics divided into two segments: Pharmaceutical and Medical. Johnson & Johnson: J&J makes money in two ways.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Cardinal Health, Inc. or Johnson & Johnson?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Cardinal Health, Inc. trades at 0.2x P/S and Johnson & Johnson at 6.8x P/S. Johnson & Johnson 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 Cardinal Health, Inc. bigger than Johnson & Johnson?
By last reported revenue, Cardinal Health, Inc. ($254.2B (FY2026)) is the larger company compared to Johnson & Johnson ($94.2B (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 Cardinal Health vs Johnson & Johnson overview