Cardinal Health vs Procter & Gamble: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Cardinal Health reported $254.2B of revenue in FY2026 and $1.7B of net income. Procter & Gamble reported $87B of revenue in FY2026 and $16B 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
Procter & Gamble
- Latest revenue
- $87B (FY2026)
- Net income
- $16B
- Net margin
- 18.4%
- Revenue growth
- +3.3% a year, FY2017–FY2026
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%.
Procter & Gamble
P&G's finances are defined by steady sales, high margins and large cash returns rather than fast growth. Net sales rose from $65.1 billion in fiscal 2017 to $87.0 billion in fiscal 2026. In fiscal 2026 diluted EPS was $6.62 (up 2%) and core EPS was $6.89 (up 1%), with core gross and operating margins slipping 40 and 70 basis points as costs rose. The company returned more than $15 billion to shareholders, about $10.2 billion in dividends and $5 billion in buybacks, and has raised its dividend for 70 consecutive years. For fiscal 2027 it guided to 1%-3% organic sales growth and core EPS of $6.89-$7.11.
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 |
Procter & Gamble
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | $87B | $16B | 18.4% | +3.3% | Source |
| FY2025 | $84.3B | $16B | 19.0% | +0.3% | Source |
| FY2024 | $84B | $14.9B | 17.7% | +2.5% | Source |
| FY2023 | $82B | $14.7B | 17.9% | +2.3% | Source |
| FY2022 | $80.2B | $14.7B | 18.4% | +5.3% | Source |
| FY2021 | $76.1B | $14.3B | 18.8% | +7.3% | Source |
| FY2020 | $71B | $13B | 18.4% | +4.8% | Source |
| FY2019 | $67.7B | $3.9B | 5.8% | +1.3% | Source |
| FY2018 | $66.8B | $9.8B | 14.6% | +2.7% | Source |
| FY2017 | $65.1B | $15.3B | 23.6% | — | 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.
Procter & Gamble
- Fabric and Home Care
Largest segment
Laundry, dish care, air care, and household cleaning brands including Tide, Ariel, Dawn, Febreze, and Swiffer.
- Baby, Feminine and Family Care
Major segment
Pampers, Always, Bounty, Charmin, and related baby, feminine, and family-care products.
- Beauty
Major segment
Hair care, skin care, and prestige beauty brands including Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Olay, and SK-II.
- Health Care
Major segment
Oral care and personal health products such as Oral-B, Crest, Vicks, and Metamucil.
- Grooming
Focused segment
Gillette, Venus, Braun, and shaving-related 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.
Procter & Gamble
How it makes money
P&G makes money by designing, manufacturing and marketing branded household and personal-care products that consumers buy every week, then selling them through retailers, club stores, pharmacies, distributors and e-commerce platforms. Revenue comes from five reportable segments: Fabric & Home Care (Tide, Ariel, Dawn, Downy, Febreze), the largest; Baby, Feminine & Family Care (Pampers, Always, Bounty, Charmin);
Growth strategy
P&G's integrated growth strategy has five parts: a portfolio focused on about ten daily-use categories, superiority across product, packaging, communication, retail execution and value, productivity savings to fund reinvestment, 'constructive disruption' of its own practices, and an agile, accountable organization.
Competitive advantage
P&G's edge is the combination of category leadership and scale. It concentrates on about ten daily-use categories where performance differences are visible to consumers (cleaning, absorbency, shaving, oral care), funds roughly $2 billion a year of R&D to keep those gaps, and uses its size to buy materials, media and logistics more cheaply than smaller rivals.
Questions about Cardinal Health vs Procter & Gamble
Which company has higher revenue — Cardinal Health, Inc. or The Procter & Gamble Company?
Cardinal Health, Inc. reported $254.2B (FY2026), while The Procter & Gamble Company reported $87.0B (FY2026). By last reported revenue, Cardinal Health, Inc. is the larger business, with The Procter & Gamble Company reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of Cardinal Health, Inc. vs The Procter & Gamble Company?
Cardinal Health, Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $56.0B, while The Procter & Gamble Company's is $340.0B. The Procter & Gamble Company 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 The Procter & Gamble Company?
Cardinal Health, Inc. generates $3.98M / employee in revenue per employee, while The Procter & Gamble Company generates $798k / 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 The Procter & Gamble Company make money?
Cardinal Health, Inc. and The Procter & Gamble Company generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Cardinal Health, Inc.: The business model is large, high-volume logistics divided into two segments: Pharmaceutical and Medical. The Procter & Gamble Company: P&G makes money by designing, manufacturing and marketing branded household and personal-care products that consumers buy every week, then selling them through retailers, club stores, pharmacies, distributors and e-commerce platforms.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Cardinal Health, Inc. or The Procter & Gamble Company?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Cardinal Health, Inc. trades at 0.2x P/S and The Procter & Gamble Company at 3.9x P/S. The Procter & Gamble Company 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 The Procter & Gamble Company?
By last reported revenue, Cardinal Health, Inc. ($254.2B (FY2026)) is the larger company compared to The Procter & Gamble Company ($87.0B (FY2026)). 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 Procter & Gamble overview