Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH)

When a company like Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) reports $222.6 billion in fiscal year 2025 revenue and delivers $8.24 in non-GAAP diluted earnings per share, you know its strategic compass-its Mission, Vision, and Core Values-is defintely worth analyzing.

That kind of scale, managing a supply chain that is truly Essential to Care™, doesn't happen by accident; it's driven by a clear purpose: To provide products and solutions that improve the lives of people every day.

But what does being healthcare's most trusted partner really look like when you're generating $2.5 billion in adjusted free cash flow? How do the five Core Values-Integrity, Inclusive, Innovative, Accountable, and Mission driven-map to the near-term risks and opportunities in their Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions segment, which saw segment profit grow by 12%?

You need to know if the stated values are just wall art or a true operational framework. Let's dive into the foundational principles that guide this healthcare giant.

Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) Overview

You're looking for a clear picture of Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH), and the takeaway is simple: despite a major contract loss, their core business is accelerating, especially in high-margin specialty areas. This is a massive, entrenched player in the U.S. healthcare supply chain, and their financials for the latest fiscal year show a strong pivot toward profitability.

Cardinal Health's journey started in 1971 as Cardinal Foods, but the real pivot came in 1979 when they moved into pharmaceutical distribution. Today, the company is a multinational healthcare services giant, headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, specializing in two critical areas: Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions, and Global Medical Products and Distribution (GMPD). They serve over 100,000 locations, including providing medical products to over 75 percent of hospitals in the United States. That's defintely a wide net.

Their product portfolio is comprehensive, covering everything from the distribution of branded and generic pharmaceuticals to manufacturing essential medical and surgical products. They also run one of the largest networks of radiopharmacies in the U.S., which is a specialized, high-demand service. For the full fiscal year 2025, Cardinal Health reported total revenue of approximately $222.6 billion. Here's the quick math: while this was a 2% reported decrease due to a major customer contract expiring, their underlying business grew by a solid 18% when you exclude that one-time impact.

The core services that drive this revenue are:

• Distributing pharmaceuticals, including high-growth specialty drugs.
• Manufacturing and sourcing Cardinal Health branded medical and surgical supplies.
• Providing supply chain and logistics services, like OptiFreight Logistics.

Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Performance: Segment Strength

The latest financial reports, covering the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, show that Cardinal Health is successfully navigating a period of transition by focusing on profit growth and strategic acquisitions. For the full year, non-GAAP operating earnings increased by a strong 15%, reaching $2.8 billion, which shows effective cost management and margin expansion. Adjusted free cash flow for the year was also robust at $2.5 billion.

In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, the company reported revenue of $60.2 billion. This is where the segment breakdown gets interesting, showing exactly where the growth is coming from:

• Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions: This segment, which accounts for the bulk of the sales, saw its Q4 revenue increase by a massive 22% (excluding the contract expiration impact). This surge was driven by growth in brand and specialty pharmaceutical sales. The segment's profit for the quarter grew 11% to $535 million.
• Global Medical Products and Distribution (GMPD): This segment's Q4 revenue grew 3% to $3.2 billion. More importantly, segment profit soared by 49% to $70 million, primarily due to volume growth from existing customers and cost-optimization initiatives.

The focus on specialty pharmaceuticals (expensive medications that often require complex handling) is a clear strategic win, as these carry higher margins for distributors. That's a smart move in a tight market.

A Leader in the Healthcare Oligopoly

Cardinal Health is not just a big company; it is one of the three major players that dominate the U.S. drug wholesale and distribution market, making it an oligopoly (a market controlled by a small number of firms). This entrenched market position is a significant barrier to entry for competitors and provides a predictable, stable revenue base. The company is currently ranked as the 15th highest revenue generating company in the United States, which is a testament to its scale and essential role in the national healthcare infrastructure.

The company's ability to deliver consistent financial performance, even while absorbing a major contract loss, underscores its operational strength and the strategic value of its distribution network. They are a crucial component of the healthcare supply chain, ensuring medications and products get to the right place at the right time. If you want to dive deeper into the nuts and bolts of how they manage this financial health and what it means for future returns, you should check out the full analysis. Breaking Down Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors

Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) Mission Statement

You're looking for the foundational principles that drive a giant like Cardinal Health, Inc., and honestly, it all boils down to their core purpose. The mission statement isn't just a plaque on the wall; it's the strategic filter for every dollar of the $222.6 billion in revenue they booked in fiscal year 2025. The direct takeaway is this: Cardinal Health's mission-To provide products and solutions that improve the lives of people every day-is a simple, powerful mandate that guides their massive, complex operation, from the warehouse floor to the C-suite.

A mission statement is the ultimate long-term goal for a company, defining its business and why it exists. For Cardinal Health, this statement is broken down into three actionable components that map directly to their two main segments: Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions, and Global Medical Products and Distribution (GMPD). This clarity is why their non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance for FY 2025 was raised to a tight range of $8.15 to $8.20, showing confidence in their path. That's a defintely strong signal.

Component 1: To Provide Products and Solutions

This part of the mission speaks to Cardinal Health's scale and core business: being the essential link in the healthcare supply chain. They are a distributor of branded and generic pharmaceuticals, specialty drugs, and medical products. Their FY 2025 total revenue of $222.6 billion underscores this massive logistical commitment. The sheer volume of this business requires relentless focus on efficiency and product integrity.

The company's focus on this component is clear in their operational investments. For instance, the Global Medical Products and Distribution (GMPD) segment is executing an improvement plan that has successfully returned the business to positive profit and cash flow generation. They are not just moving boxes; they are optimizing the flow of critical supplies. You can see this in their strategic priorities:

• Accelerate growth of Cardinal Health Brand products.
• Drive simplification and cost optimization across the supply chain.
• Modernize the distribution footprint for long-term growth.

Here's the quick math: even with a major customer contract expiration impacting overall revenue, the company's core distribution growth remains strong, proving the resilience of their 'products and solutions' foundation.

Component 2: That Improve the Lives of People

This is the 'why' behind the distribution network, moving beyond logistics to patient outcomes. Improving lives means investing in high-growth, high-impact areas like specialty care and advanced diagnostics. This is where the company is putting its capital to work right now.

In the Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions segment, they are rapidly expanding their multi-specialty Managed Services Organization (MSO) platforms through acquisitions like Integrated Oncology Network (ION), GI Alliance, and Solaris Health. This network now supports approximately 3,000 providers across 32 states, directly impacting patient care access and quality. Also, their Nuclear and Precision Health Solutions (NPHS) business is investing over $150 million over the next three years to expand their theranostics and PET product pipeline, which are cutting-edge tools for oncology and urology treatment. This is a direct commitment to improving clinical outcomes.

It's about making a tangible difference for the patient at the end of the supply chain.

Component 3: Every Day

The phrase 'every day' is the operational heartbeat of the mission; it's about reliability, consistency, and the relentless pursuit of being 'healthcare's most trusted partner,' which is their Vision. This commitment requires continuous, heavy investment in infrastructure and technology to ensure products are available when and where they are needed.

For example, the new Consumer Health Logistics Center (CHLC) in Central Ohio, the first of its kind for consumer health and over-the-counter products, became fully operational in July 2025. This center serves as a centralized replenishment hub, which removes friction from the system. Plus, the migration to their new ordering platform, Vantis HQ, is a move to enhance service capabilities for customers every single day. This focus on operational excellence is what allows them to consistently deliver on their commitments and why their adjusted free cash flow for FY 2025 hit a strong $2.5 billion.

If the supply chain falters, lives are at risk. It's that simple.

Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) Vision Statement

You're looking for the foundational principles that drive a multi-billion-dollar healthcare giant, and that's smart. The vision statement for Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) isn't just a plaque on the wall; it's the operating manual for a company that generated $222.6 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2025. The core takeaway is simple: they aim to be the most reliable, efficient link between product and patient.

This vision guides their strategic decisions, from capital allocation-like the expected $2.5 billion in adjusted free cash flow for FY 2025-to their focus on higher-margin businesses. It's a trend-aware realist's vision, mapping their near-term risks, like customer contract expirations, to clear opportunities in specialty and logistics. For a deeper dive into the numbers behind this strategy, you should check out Breaking Down Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

To be healthcare's most trusted partner

Trust in healthcare translates directly to financial resilience and market share. Honestly, in a supply chain as complex as this, trust is a non-negotiable asset. Cardinal Health builds this trust by embodying its core value of Integrity-holding themselves to the highest ethical standards. This is the bedrock that allows them to maintain their critical role in the US drug supply chain.

Their focus on being a partner, not just a vendor, is evident in the performance of their higher-growth segments. For example, the 'Other' segment, which includes logistics like OptiFreight Logistics and specialty solutions, saw its profit increase by 22% to $423 million in fiscal year 2025. That kind of growth shows customers are actively choosing them for complex, value-added services beyond basic distribution. Trust is a revenue driver, defintely.

• Uphold the highest ethical standards (Integrity).
• Drive strong profit growth in specialty solutions.
• Ensure reliable product delivery across the network.

Safely and efficiently providing customers and the patients they serve with the products and solutions they need

This is where the rubber meets the road, focusing on operational excellence and safety. Safety and efficiency are two sides of the same coin in distribution; a safer process is almost always a more efficient one. The company's Innovative and Accountable core values are key here, pushing them to develop new ways of operating and delivering on commitments.

The Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions segment, a major focus for growth, saw its non-GAAP segment profit increase by 11% in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025. Here's the quick math: that profit growth comes from streamlining the flow of high-value specialty drugs, using data and analytics (a key solution) to reduce waste and ensure product integrity. Their GAAP operating earnings of $2.3 billion for the year are a testament to their ability to execute this high-volume, low-margin business efficiently. Simply put, they have to be precise, or the whole model breaks.

When and where they need them

The final part of the vision addresses the logistics challenge of modern healthcare: immediacy and accessibility. This speaks directly to their Mission driven value-serving the greater goal of healthcare. It means having the physical infrastructure and the data systems to get a complex drug to a specialty clinic or a medical device to a hospital operating room, precisely on time.

The sheer scale of their operation is the enabler here. With annual revenues of $222.6 billion, they have the resources to invest in the logistics network and technology needed for this level of precision. Their non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $8.24 for FY 2025, a 9% increase, reflects the financial benefit of optimizing this massive network. They're not just moving boxes; they are managing complex inventory and logistics for an industry where minutes matter. The focus is on using their scale to solve the last-mile problem in healthcare, making sure their customers-hospitals, pharmacies, and clinics-never face a critical shortage.

Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) Core Values

You're looking for the real drivers behind Cardinal Health's performance, not just the quarterly earnings. That's smart. A company's core values tell you exactly where capital and focus are truly allocated, and for Cardinal Health, these five principles are the foundation for their $222.6 billion in fiscal year 2025 revenue. We need to look past the jargon and see the concrete actions that back up the words.

These values-Integrity, Inclusive, Innovative, Accountable, and Mission Driven-are more than posters on a wall; they map directly to strategic investments and operational metrics. For instance, their commitment to being a trusted partner is why they generated a strong $2.5 billion in non-GAAP adjusted free cash flow for the year, showing that ethical operations and financial strength go hand-in-hand. You can see more on their structure and financial engine here: Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

Integrity

Integrity means upholding the highest ethical standards, and in healthcare, that translates to strict compliance and transparency. This is defintely a non-negotiable area for a distributor of their scale. For fiscal year 2025, Cardinal Health maintained material compliance with their Comprehensive Compliance Program, specifically addressing the California Law requirements as of July 1, 2025. That's a massive undertaking.

To keep things clean and transparent with healthcare professionals, they set a clear annual spending limit of $2,000 for gifts or promotional materials under the California Compliance Program. This kind of precise, low-dollar limit shows a real commitment to avoiding even the appearance of impropriety. It's about building trust in a highly regulated environment, and that kind of clarity reduces risk across the board.

Inclusive

Embracing differences to drive the best outcomes isn't just good social policy; it's a direct lever for better business decisions. A diverse team sees risks and opportunities that a homogeneous one misses. Cardinal Health ties its commitment to representation directly to compensation, which is a powerful signal.

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) metrics are now integrated into the annual incentive plan for directors and above.
• A portion of the long-term equity plan payouts for Senior Vice Presidents (SVPs) and higher is aligned with progress toward long-term representation goals.

Looking at the numbers, women hold 33% of the Board seats and 39.00% of the leadership team/executive committee as of 2025, while representing 46.89% of the total workforce. That gap between the total workforce and the top leadership is the clear area of focus for the incentive-based goals, pushing for better representation where it matters most for strategic direction.

Innovative

Innovation for Cardinal Health isn't about inventing a new drug; it's about developing new ways of operating and serving customers across the complex supply chain. The company's investment strategy in fiscal year 2025 shows this clearly, focusing on high-growth, specialty areas rather than traditional research and development (R&D) which is reported as $0M for the period ending September 2025.

Here's the quick math on their strategic innovation spend:

• Acquired a majority stake in GI Alliance, a gastroenterology Management Services Organization (MSO), for approximately $2.8 billion in cash.
• Invested in the growth of its Nuclear and Precision Health Solutions (NPHS) business, with plans to spend more than $150 million over the next three years to expand its cyclotron network in 11 U.S. markets.
• Completed the acquisition of Integrated Oncology Network (ION) for approximately $1.1 billion in cash to accelerate its specialty capabilities.

These acquisitions and investments are how they innovate-by buying, integrating, and scaling specialty solutions that drive patient care efficiency.

Accountable

Accountability means delivering on commitments, and nothing speaks louder than financial performance and operational excellence. The Global Medical Products and Distribution (GMPD) segment, which had faced challenges, is a perfect example of this value in action.

Through a multi-year improvement plan focused on simplification and cost optimization, the GMPD segment successfully delivered a profit of $135 million in fiscal year 2025. That's a tangible result of bringing passion and grit to a turnaround. Overall, this focus on execution helped drive non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) to $8.24, representing a 9% growth over the prior year. That's a strong return on operational discipline.

Mission Driven

The mission is simple: to improve the lives of people every day. This value guides every strategic decision, ensuring the company serves the greater goal of healthcare. In 2025, this meant expanding access to care in high-demand, patient-centric areas.

The acquisition of Advanced Diabetes Supply Group (ADSG) for approximately $1.1 billion in cash significantly expanded their At-Home Solutions business, directly supporting patients with chronic conditions outside of a hospital setting. Also, the company's commitment to environmental stewardship is a long-term mission goal, with an approved target to reduce absolute Scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by fiscal 2030 from a 2019 baseline. That kind of long-range commitment shows their mission extends beyond the immediate patient to the health of the planet they operate on.