Cardinal Health Inc vs Shell PLC — how do they compare? Cardinal Health Inc trades at $235.23 (market cap $55.88B), while Shell PLC trades at $90.08 (market cap $250.44B). The key difference: Shell PLC is far larger — about 4.5× Cardinal Health Inc's market cap, and Shell PLC pays the higher dividend (3.45%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CAH | SHEL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $55.88B | $250.44B |
Sector | Health | Energy |
52-Week High | $240.26 | $94.15 |
52-Week Low | $146.04 | $70.31 |
Enterprise Value | $59.91B | $292.14B |
Dividend Yield | 0.86% | 3.45% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Cardinal Health (CAH) trades at $235.3, down 0.79% on the day, but remains near its 52-week high. The stock exhibits a bullish technical signal with consistent earnings beats in recent quarters, including Q2 2026 EPS of $2.91 versus $2.42 expected. Revenue for fiscal 2025 was $222.58 billion, with net income reaching $1.56 billion. Analyst consensus is strongly positive, with 18 buys and a $266.43 price target, reflecting confidence in the company's pharmaceutical and specialty business growth.
The outlook for CAH is favorable, driven by robust earnings performance and optimistic fiscal 2027 guidance. Key opportunities include sustained demand for specialty drugs and operational efficiency gains. Risks involve high debt levels, with a debt-to-asset ratio of 16.09 in 2025, and competitive pressures in the healthcare distribution sector. Investors should weigh strong analyst support against balance sheet leverage and market volatility.
SHEL trades at $90.12, up 0.19% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and strong Q2 2026 earnings beating estimates. The stock shows attractive valuation metrics with a P/E of 10.01 and P/S of 0.88, supported by a 14.35% ROE and 8.76% net income margin. Recent news highlights oil price gains boosting energy stocks and Shell's strategic divestments, such as selling its European renewables unit to TotalEnergies.
Outlook remains positive due to discounted valuation, rising cash flow, and analyst consensus favoring buys with a $103.60 price target. Key risks include commodity price volatility, regulatory pressures, and execution challenges in energy transitions. The stock offers value with upside potential but requires monitoring of oil market dynamics and debt levels.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Cardinal Health is a leading pharmaceutical wholesaler, engaged in the sourcing and distribution of branded, generic, and specialty pharmaceutical products to pharmacies (retail chains, independent, and mail-order), hospitals networks, and healthcare providers. Along with AmerisourceBergen and McKesson, the three compose well over 90% of the U.S. pharmaceutical wholesale industry. Cardinal Health also supplies medical-surgical products and equipment to healthcare facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Read more on CAH →Shell is an integrated oil and gas company that explores for, produces, and refines oil around the world. In 2021, it produced 1.7 million barrels of liquids and 8.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. At year-end 2021, reserves stood at 9.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, 50% of which consisted of liquids. Its production and reserves are in Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and North and South America. The company operates refineries with capacity of 1.8 mmb/d located in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe and sells 15 mtpa of chemicals. Its largest chemical plants, often integrated with its local refineries, are in Central Europe, China, Singapore, and North America.
Read more on SHEL →