How does Cardinal Health (CAH) make money?

Cardinal Health (CAH) generates revenue primarily from Pharmaceutical Member, which accounted for 92.2% of total revenue in TTM through Q1 2026. The company reported $251B in revenue and converted 0.6% of it into net profit, equivalent to roughly $1.56B in net income — what's left after the cost of revenue, operating expenses, interest, and income taxes.

What is the gross profit margin of Cardinal Health (CAH)?

Cardinal Health (CAH) reported a gross profit margin of 3.7% in TTM through Q1 2026, equivalent to $9.23B in gross profit on $251B in revenue. Gross margin measures how much of each dollar of revenue remains after the direct cost of producing or delivering the product — a higher figure typically signals pricing power, scale, or a less capital-intensive business model.

What is the operating profit margin of Cardinal Health (CAH)?

Cardinal Health (CAH) reported an operating profit margin of 0.9% in TTM through Q1 2026, equivalent to $2.31B in operating income. Operating margin captures profitability after research & development, sales & marketing, and general & administrative expenses — but before interest, taxes, and one-off items — and is the cleanest single read on the underlying business's efficiency.

What is the net profit margin of Cardinal Health (CAH)?

Cardinal Health (CAH) reported a net profit margin of 0.6% in TTM through Q1 2026, equivalent to $1.56B in net income. Net margin is the bottom-line share of revenue that survives every expense — operating costs, interest, and income taxes — and is the figure that flows directly into earnings per share.

Is Cardinal Health (CAH) profitable?

Yes. Cardinal Health (CAH) reported $1.56B in net income for TTM through Q1 2026, with a net profit margin of 0.6%. The company earned more from its operations than it paid out in costs, interest, and income taxes, leaving positive earnings on the bottom line.

How much does Cardinal Health (CAH) spend on capital expenditures?

Cardinal Health (CAH) spent $617M on capital expenditures (CapEx) during TTM through Q1 2026, roughly 0.2% of total revenue. CapEx represents long-lived investment in property, equipment, data centres, and other physical infrastructure, and is subtracted from operating cash flow to arrive at free cash flow.

How much free cash flow does Cardinal Health (CAH) generate?

Cardinal Health (CAH) generated $4.39B in free cash flow during TTM through Q1 2026, a free-cash-flow margin of 1.8%. Free cash flow is the cash left after capital expenditures and represents the discretionary pool the company can use to pay dividends, repurchase shares, repay debt, or fund acquisitions without raising external capital.

What is the effective tax rate of Cardinal Health (CAH)?

Cardinal Health (CAH) had an effective tax rate of 22.8% in TTM through Q1 2026. The effective rate is the actual share of pre-tax income paid as income taxes and can differ materially from the statutory rate due to foreign earnings mix, tax credits (such as R&D), share-based compensation deductions, and one-off discrete items.

What are the main business segments of Cardinal Health (CAH)?

Cardinal Health (CAH) reports revenue across 3 reportable product segments, led by Pharmaceutical at 92.2% of total revenue in TTM through Q1 2026. See the revenue-by-segment table on this page for the full breakdown and how each segment feeds into the income-statement waterfall above.

How Cardinal Health Makes Money: 2026 Visual Revenue Map

Cardinal Health (CAH) Income Statement Flow — TTM through Q1 2026

Calculated from the four most recent reported quarters, ending March 31, 2026 (reported April 30, 2026).

Cardinal Health discloses geographic revenue only in annual filings. to view the full breakdown.

Cardinal Health (CAH) Revenue by Product Segment — TTM through Q1 2026

Aggregated from the four quarterly disclosures behind this TTM. Minor differences vs the company's annual filing can occur if reported segments changed mid-year.

Revenue contribution by product segment for Cardinal Health (CAH), TTM through Q1 2026.
Segment	Revenue (USD)	% of total
Pharmaceutical	$231B	92.2%
GMPD	$12.9B	5.1%
Other	$6.76B	2.7%
Total	$251B	100%

Pharmaceutical$231B
GMPD$12.9B
Other$6.76B
Total$251B

Revenue Breakdown — TTM through Q1 2026

In TTM through Q1 2026, Cardinal Health (CAH) reports revenue across 3 reportable product segments; the largest segment was Pharmaceutical at 92.2%, followed by GMPD (5.1%) and Other (2.7%).

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