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CAH vs COR
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Cardinal Health (CAH) vs. Cencora (COR) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Both CAH and COR are among the "big three" U.S. pharmaceutical distributors, yet their recent stock trajectories have diverged sharply.
- Cardinal Health has delivered stronger recent momentum, with its shares climbing roughly 60% over the trailing year, compared with a single-digit-to-low-teens gain for Cencora over a similar span.
- Cencora is pursuing a larger, higher-profile acquisition strategy, most notably its up to $2.4 billion deal for American Oncology Network, while Cardinal Health is leaning into faster-growing specialty and management-services businesses.
- Tickeron AI Verdict: Based on trend consistency, earnings momentum, and relative positioning, the AI framework currently favors CAH over COR.
- For deeper coverage, explore CAH Major News, CAH Today's Price Move, COR Major News, and COR Today's Price Move.
- To see how automated strategies are positioning across the market, visit the Trending AI Robots page.
Introduction
Cardinal Health and Cencora sit at the center of the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain, distributing branded, generic, and specialty medicines to pharmacies, hospitals, and physician practices. Together with McKesson, these two companies control the overwhelming majority of domestic drug distribution, which makes them natural comparison candidates for investors weighing exposure to healthcare logistics and specialty services. Although both operate in the same oligopolistic industry and face comparable regulatory and reimbursement dynamics, their recent stock performance, growth strategies, and market positioning have diverged. This stock comparison is most relevant for investors and traders seeking to understand which of these two large-cap healthcare names currently offers the more compelling relative performance and momentum profile.
CAH Overview and Recent Performance
Cardinal Health is a distributor of pharmaceuticals and specialty products, a manufacturer and distributor of medical and laboratory products, and a provider of at-home, nuclear pharmacy, and logistics services. In its most recent fiscal year, the company generated revenue of roughly $254 billion, up 14% year over year, while adjusted earnings per share (EPS, a measure of profit allocated to each share) rose about 37%. Management has guided to continued double-digit EPS growth, supported by its fast-expanding specialty platform, which grew around 25% in the latest fiscal year and now exceeds $50 billion in annual revenue.
Recent market activity has reflected investor enthusiasm for that specialty-led profit mix shift. The stock has risen approximately 60% over the trailing year and reached a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple above its own five-year median. Key developments in recent weeks and months include the expansion of nuclear medicine (theranostics) production capacity, the integration of acquired specialty assets, and continued share repurchases alongside a raised dividend. These catalysts, combined with repeated guidance increases, have reinforced a constructive sentiment around CAH.
COR Overview and Recent Performance
Cencora, formerly AmerisourceBergen, is one of the three leading U.S. pharmaceutical wholesalers and also operates international distribution and specialty logistics businesses, including World Courier and Europe-based Alliance Healthcare. The company reported a quarterly revenue of about $84.8 billion in its most recent period and has guided to adjusted EPS in the range of $17.70 to $17.90 for its fiscal year. A defining recent development is its agreement to acquire American Oncology Network in a transaction valued at up to $2.4 billion, a move that deepens its community oncology footprint on top of existing platforms such as OneOncology and Retina Consultants of America.
In contrast to Cardinal Health, Cencora's shares have been more range-bound over the trailing year, with a return in the single-digit-to-low-teens range and the stock trading below its 52-week high. Momentum has firmed over the past several months, aided by strong specialty-led operating income growth and an expanded share repurchase authorization. However, lingering concerns around customer concentration, biosimilar pricing pressure, and acquisition integration costs have tempered near-term enthusiasm around COR relative to its peer.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
Although both companies dominate pharmaceutical distribution, their strategic emphases differ. Cencora is pursuing a more acquisitive, specialty-care-centered model, using deals such as American Oncology Network and OneOncology to capture higher-margin physician-practice services and oncology workflows. Cardinal Health is instead compounding its specialty and management-services businesses organically while making targeted, smaller acquisitions, and it derives additional diversification from medical products and nuclear medicine.
On relative performance, Cardinal Health has been the clear recent winner, outpacing Cencora by a wide margin over the trailing year on the strength of accelerating earnings growth and repeated upward guidance revisions. Cencora, by contrast, offers a more diversified international revenue base and a larger, more visible pipeline of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), but its near-term momentum has been comparatively subdued and its forward P/E multiple sits in a similar range. Risk profiles also differ: Cencora carries elevated customer-concentration and integration risk, while Cardinal Health faces cost inflation and tariff-related exposure in its medical products segment. From a market-sentiment standpoint, both stocks retain broadly positive analyst coverage, but the market has been rewarding Cardinal Health's earnings trajectory more decisively in recent months.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Weighing observable factors such as trend consistency, earnings momentum, and relative positioning, Tickeron's AI framework would currently lean toward CAH as the more favorable candidate between the two. Cardinal Health's stronger trailing price trend, faster earnings growth, and consistent upward guidance revisions suggest a more durable near-term momentum profile, whereas Cencora's more modest relative performance and heavier reliance on acquisition-driven catalysts introduce greater uncertainty. This is a probabilistic assessment based on currently available data rather than a definitive forecast, and conditions can shift as new earnings reports, deal developments, or sector-wide events unfold.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is CAH is a StrongBuy and COR is a Buy.
CAH's MACD Histogram crosses above signal line
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for CAH turned positive on November 04, 2026. Looking at past instances where CAH's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in 30 of 42 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 71%.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved above the 0 level on November 04, 2026. You may want to consider a long position or call options on CAH as a result. In 59 of 87 past instances where the momentum indicator moved above 0, the stock continued to climb. The odds of a continued upward trend are 68%.
CAH moved above its 50-day moving average on October 08, 2026 date and that indicates a change from a downward trend to an upward trend.
The 10-day moving average for CAH crossed bullishly above the 50-day moving average on October 13, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted higher and could be considered a buy signal. In 7 of 12 past instances when the 10-day crossed above the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 58%.
Following a +1.32% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where CAH advanced for three days, in 264 of 394 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 67%.
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In 188 of 310 cases where CAH Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are 61%.
Bearish Trend Analysis
The RSI Indicator demonstrates that the ticker has stayed in the overbought zone for 7 days. The longer the ticker stays in the overbought zone, the sooner a price pull-back is expected.
The Stochastic Oscillator demonstrated that the ticker has stayed in the overbought zone for 3 days. The longer the ticker stays in the overbought zone, the sooner a price pull-back is expected.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where CAH declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 43%.
CAH broke above its upper Bollinger Band on November 04, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
Fundamental Analysis (Ratings)
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is 2 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating low risk on high returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 73, placing this stock better than average.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is 5 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating outstanding price growth. CAH’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is 20 (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to outstanding earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of 30 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly undervalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (-21.824) is normal, around the industry mean (14.423). CAH has a moderately high P/E Ratio (37.376) as compared to the industry average of (11.188). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (1.105) is also within normal values, averaging (2.016). Dividend Yield (0.008) settles around the average of (0.134) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (0.217) is also within normal values, averaging (4.260).
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is 99 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating weak sales and an unprofitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
COR in upward trend: price rose above 50-day moving average on October 08, 2026
COR moved above its 50-day moving average on October 08, 2026 date and that indicates a change from a downward trend to an upward trend. In 29 of 36 similar past instances, the stock price increased further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 81%.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved above the 0 level on November 04, 2026. You may want to consider a long position or call options on COR as a result. In 54 of 85 past instances where the momentum indicator moved above 0, the stock continued to climb. The odds of a continued upward trend are 64%.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for COR just turned positive on November 04, 2026. Looking at past instances where COR's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in 36 of 53 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 68%.
The 10-day moving average for COR crossed bullishly above the 50-day moving average on October 14, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted higher and could be considered a buy signal. In 9 of 13 past instances when the 10-day crossed above the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 69%.
Following a +1.19% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where COR advanced for three days, in 240 of 387 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 62%.
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In 229 of 350 cases where COR Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are 65%.
Bearish Trend Analysis
The 10-day RSI Indicator for COR moved out of overbought territory on November 05, 2026. This could be a bearish sign for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 49 similar instances where the indicator moved out of overbought territory. In 22 of the 49 cases, the stock moved lower in the following days. This puts the odds of a move lower at 45%.
The Stochastic Oscillator may be shifting from an upward trend to a downward trend. In 31 of 72 cases where COR's Stochastic Oscillator exited the overbought zone, the price fell further within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 43%.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where COR declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 43%.
COR broke above its upper Bollinger Band on November 04, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
Fundamental Analysis (Ratings)
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is 13 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is 18 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating low risk on high returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 73, placing this stock better than average.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is 42 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating steady price growth. COR’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of 81 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (20.863) is normal, around the industry mean (14.423). P/E Ratio (24.653) is within average values for comparable stocks, (11.188). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (0.636) is also within normal values, averaging (2.016). Dividend Yield (0.008) settles around the average of (0.134) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (0.187) is also within normal values, averaging (4.260).
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is 88 (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to worse than average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
CAH | COR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 34 | 24 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 30 Undervalued | 81 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 2 | 18 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 99 | 13 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 5 | 42 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 20 | 88 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | n/a | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
CAH's Valuation (30) in the Medical Distributors industry is somewhat better than the same rating for COR (81) in the Real Estate Investment Trusts industry. This means that CAH’s stock grew somewhat faster than COR’s over the last 12 months.
CAH's Profit vs Risk Rating (2) in the Medical Distributors industry is in the same range as COR (18) in the Real Estate Investment Trusts industry. This means that CAH’s stock grew similarly to COR’s over the last 12 months.
COR's SMR Rating (13) in the Real Estate Investment Trusts industry is significantly better than the same rating for CAH (99) in the Medical Distributors industry. This means that COR’s stock grew significantly faster than CAH’s over the last 12 months.
CAH's Price Growth Rating (5) in the Medical Distributors industry is somewhat better than the same rating for COR (42) in the Real Estate Investment Trusts industry. This means that CAH’s stock grew somewhat faster than COR’s over the last 12 months.
CAH's P/E Growth Rating (20) in the Medical Distributors industry is significantly better than the same rating for COR (88) in the Real Estate Investment Trusts industry. This means that CAH’s stock grew significantly faster than COR’s over the last 12 months.
| CAH | COR | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 45% | 1 day ago 45% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 49% | 1 day ago 43% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 68% | 1 day ago 64% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 71% | 1 day ago 68% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 67% | 1 day ago 64% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 65% | 1 day ago 66% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 67% | 4 days ago 62% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 18 days ago 43% | 9 days ago 43% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 40% | 1 day ago 47% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 61% | 1 day ago 65% |
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is overvalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
CAH’s FA Score shows that 4 FA rating(s) are green while COR’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s).
- CAH’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 red.
- COR’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
CAH’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while COR’s TA Score has 6 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CAH’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
- COR’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
CAH (@Medical Distributors) experienced а +3.45% price change this week, while COR (@Medical Distributors) price change was +7.84% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Medical Distributors industry was -9.56%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -20.12%, and the average quarterly price growth was -23.70%.
Reported Earning Dates
CAH is expected to report earnings on Feb 04, 2027.
COR is expected to report earnings on Feb 03, 2027.
Industries' Descriptions
@Medical Distributors (-9.56% weekly)Healthcare distribution market can be segmented into pharmaceutical product distribution services, medical device distribution services, and biopharmaceutical product distribution services. In addition to serving as intermediaries, many medical distributors also purchase and take legal ownership of pharmaceuticals and manage inventory and credit risk. According to a Deloitte report, pharmaceutical distributors’ core services of efficient product distribution, inventory management, financial risk management, and information-sharing generate $33 billion-$53 billion in value annually to the U.S. health care ecosystem. Some prominent players in the overall medical distribution industry include McKesson Corporation, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc. and Patterson Companies, Inc.
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CAH and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, CAH has been closely correlated with MCK. These tickers have moved in lockstep 72% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if CAH jumps, then MCK could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To CAH | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAH | 100% | +1.06% | ||
| MCK - CAH | 72% Closely correlated | +2.39% | ||
| COR - CAH | 61% Loosely correlated | +2.96% | ||
| HSIC - CAH | 8% Poorly correlated | +0.09% | ||
| AHG - CAH | 4% Poorly correlated | -5.93% | ||
| FOCL - CAH | 2% Poorly correlated | -4.84% | ||
More | ||||
COR and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, COR has been closely correlated with MCK. These tickers have moved in lockstep 71% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if COR jumps, then MCK could also see price increases.