Cardinal Health vs Target: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Cardinal Health reported $254.2B of revenue in FY2026 and $1.7B of net income. Target reported $104.8B of revenue in FY2025 and $3.7B 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
Target
- Latest revenue
- $104.8B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $3.7B
- Net margin
- 3.5%
- Revenue growth
- +4.5% 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%.
Target
Target's revenue fell three years in a row, from $109.1 billion in fiscal 2022 to $104.8 billion in fiscal 2025, while FY2025 net income was $3.705 billion. Fiscal 2026 has reversed the trend so far. Q2 FY2026 net sales rose 5.3% to $26.5 billion, comparable sales grew 3.8% on a 3.6% traffic gain, and digital comparable sales rose 8.7% with same-day delivery up more than 25%. Q2 GAAP EPS was $4.11 versus $2.05 a year earlier, but $1.65 of that came from $994 million of pretax tariff refunds; excluding refunds, EPS grew about 20%. Management now guides to roughly 5% net sales growth for fiscal 2026 and EPS of $9.90 to $10.90.
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 |
Target
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $104.8B | $3.7B | 3.5% | -1.7% | Source |
| FY2024 | $106.6B | $4.1B | 3.8% | -0.8% | Source |
| FY2023 | $107.4B | $4.1B | 3.9% | -1.6% | Source |
| FY2022 | $109.1B | $2.8B | 2.5% | +2.9% | Source |
| FY2021 | $106B | $6.9B | 6.6% | +13.3% | Source |
| FY2020 | $93.6B | $4.4B | 4.7% | +19.8% | Source |
| FY2019 | $78.1B | $3.3B | 4.2% | +3.7% | Source |
| FY2018 | $75.4B | $2.9B | 3.9% | +3.6% | Source |
| FY2017 | $72.7B | $2.9B | 4.0% | +3.5% | Source |
| FY2016 | $70.3B | $2.7B | 3.9% | — | 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.
Target
- Stores and digital merchandise
Primary revenue source
Sales of food, essentials, apparel, beauty, home, electronics, toys and seasonal products through stores and digital channels.
- Owned brands
Strategic margin driver
Target-owned and exclusive brands that support margin and differentiation.
- Same-day services and Shipt
Growth and retention stream
Delivery, pickup, Drive Up and Target Circle 360 services that deepen loyalty.
- Roundel retail media
High-margin supplemental stream
Advertising revenue from brands using Target's retail media network.
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.
Target
How it makes money
Target runs a general-merchandise, big-box retail model that pairs low-margin essentials (groceries, household basics) to drive store traffic with higher-margin discretionary categories (apparel, home decor, and private-label brands) to drive profit -- the classic 'basket size' strategy.
Growth strategy
Target is focusing on merchandising authority, guest experience, technology acceleration, team and community strength, stores-as-hubs, same-day fulfillment, retail media and owned-brand renewal.
Competitive advantage
Target's advantage is the mix of curated merchandise, owned brands, convenient stores, same-day fulfillment and a brand position between discount utility and design-led retail.
Questions about Cardinal Health vs Target
Which company has higher revenue — Cardinal Health, Inc. or Target Corporation?
Cardinal Health, Inc. reported $254.2B (FY2026), while Target Corporation reported $104.8B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Cardinal Health, Inc. is the larger business, with Target Corporation 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 Target Corporation?
Cardinal Health, Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $56.0B, while Target Corporation's is $72.0B. Target Corporation 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 Target Corporation?
Cardinal Health, Inc. generates $3.98M / employee in revenue per employee, while Target Corporation generates $252k / 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 Target Corporation make money?
Cardinal Health, Inc. and Target Corporation generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Cardinal Health, Inc.: The business model is large, high-volume logistics divided into two segments: Pharmaceutical and Medical. Target Corporation: Target runs a general-merchandise, big-box retail model that pairs low-margin essentials (groceries, household basics) to drive store traffic with higher-margin discretionary categories (apparel, home decor, and private-label brands) to drive profit -- the classic 'basket size' strategy.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Cardinal Health, Inc. or Target Corporation?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Cardinal Health, Inc. trades at 0.2x P/S and Target Corporation at 0.7x P/S. Target Corporation 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 Target Corporation?
By last reported revenue, Cardinal Health, Inc. ($254.2B (FY2026)) is the larger company compared to Target Corporation ($104.8B (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 Target overview