Cardinal Health vs TCS: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Cardinal Health reported $254.2B of revenue in FY2026 and $1.7B of net income. TCS reported ~$31B of revenue in FY2026 and ~$5.7B 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
TCS
- Latest revenue
- ~$31B (FY2026)
- Net income
- ~$5.7B
- Net margin
- 18.4%
- Revenue growth
- +8.6% a year, FY2022–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%.
TCS
TCS reported FY2026 revenue of ₹2,67,021 crore ($30.017 billion), up 4.6% in rupees but down about 0.5% in dollars, with net income of about $5.71 billion (₹49,210 crore) and a 19.8% net margin. Q1 FY2027 revenue was ₹72,275 crore ($7.624 billion), up 13.9% in rupees and 2.7% in dollars year over year, with an operating margin of about 24% and net profit of ~$1.55 billion (₹13,349 crore). The growth story now rests on AI: TCS put its annualized AI services revenue at $1.8 billion in Q3 FY2026 and $2.6 billion in Q1 FY2027, while total contract value held at $9.5 billion for the quarter.
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 |
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.
TCS
- IT services
Primary revenue source
Application development, maintenance, modernization and managed technology services.
- Consulting and transformation
Strategic growth stream
Business and technology transformation programs for large enterprises.
- Cloud, AI and cybersecurity
Fast-changing growth area
Cloud migration, AI, data, automation, cybersecurity and platform simplification.
- Business process services
Recurring enterprise stream
Technology-enabled operations and business process services.
- Platforms
Differentiated platform stream
Industry platforms such as TCS BaNCS and related software-led offerings.
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.
TCS
How it makes money
TCS earns revenue through global IT services and consulting, built around eight industry verticals and geographic diversification.
Growth strategy
TCS is growing through AI, cloud modernization, cybersecurity, data, engineering services, platforms, large transformation deals, partnerships and deeper penetration of existing enterprise accounts.
Competitive advantage
TCS' advantage is delivery scale, Tata trust, large-account depth, industry domain expertise, training infrastructure, strong margins and a reputation for mission-critical execution.
Questions about Cardinal Health vs TCS
Which company has higher revenue — Cardinal Health, Inc. or Tata Consultancy Services Limited?
Cardinal Health, Inc. reported $254.2B (FY2026), while Tata Consultancy Services Limited reported ~$31B (FY2026). By last reported revenue, Cardinal Health, Inc. is the larger business, with Tata Consultancy Services Limited reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of Cardinal Health, Inc. vs Tata Consultancy Services Limited?
Cardinal Health, Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $56.0B, while Tata Consultancy Services Limited's is $84.0B. Tata Consultancy Services Limited 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 Tata Consultancy Services Limited?
Cardinal Health, Inc. generates $3.98M / employee in revenue per employee, while Tata Consultancy Services Limited generates $52k / 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 Tata Consultancy Services Limited make money?
Cardinal Health, Inc. and Tata Consultancy Services Limited generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Cardinal Health, Inc.: The business model is large, high-volume logistics divided into two segments: Pharmaceutical and Medical. Tata Consultancy Services Limited: TCS earns revenue through global IT services and consulting, built around eight industry verticals and geographic diversification.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Cardinal Health, Inc. or Tata Consultancy Services Limited?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Cardinal Health, Inc. trades at 0.2x P/S and Tata Consultancy Services Limited at 2.7x P/S. Tata Consultancy Services Limited 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 Tata Consultancy Services Limited?
By last reported revenue, Cardinal Health, Inc. ($254.2B (FY2026)) is the larger company compared to Tata Consultancy Services Limited (~$31B (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 TCS overview