Cencora
Cencora's revenue rose 9.3% to $321.3 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was 0.8%, up from 0.7% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $3.2 billion, up 7.0%. It paid out $873 million in dividends and buybacks, 27% of free cash flow. The diluted share count fell 2.5%.
Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on equity is net income as a share of shareholders' equity. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.
Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.
Revenue and margins
Net income and earnings per share
From fiscal 2016 to 2025, earnings per share grew 2.6% a year and net income 0.9% a year, as buybacks cut the share count by 14%.
Returns on capital
Cash flow
Payouts and share count
Valuation
Two ways to value Cencora yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.
Discounted cash flow (DCF)
A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from Cencora's 10-K (or, for net cash and shares, its latest 10-Q) and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from Cencora's fiscal 2025 free cash flow of $3.2B, net cash of −$3.3B at September 30, 2025 and 195 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to Cencora: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, 10.4% a year; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 7% for a stable business (Health Care Distributors); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $330.00
- Value on these assumptions, against the last close
- —
- Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today
- —
- Everything after year 10, valued today
- —
- Plus net cash
- —
- Share of value from after year 10
How the value changes with two assumptions
Price-to-earnings (P/E) method
Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from Cencora's earnings per share of $13.47 (over the last four quarters). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 26.6×, the middle of Cencora's own P/E today, its peers' median and its sector's median (its peers' median) for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 8%, 7% and 6%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $330.00
- Value at this multiple, against the last close
- —
- Cencora's P/E at the last close
- 24.5×
| Company | Last close | Earnings per share | P/E today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal HealthCAH | $251.54 | $7.23 | 34.8× |
| McKessonMCK | $992.87 | $37.31 | 26.6× |
| Henry ScheinHSIC | $84.51 | $3.43 | 24.6× |
| CencoraCOR | $330.00 | $13.47 | 24.5× |
Balance sheet
| Fiscal year end | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and short-term investments | 2.5 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 4.4 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 6.7 | 5.7 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 7.7 |
| Net debt (negative means net cash) | 4.1 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 3.3 |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 1.4x | 0.8x | 0.7x | 0.4x | 0.9x |
| Debt to equity | — | — | — | — | — |
| Interest coverage | 13.8x | 10.8x | 8.6x | 8.7x | 7.4x |
| Current ratio | 0.9x | 0.9x | 0.9x | 0.9x | 0.9x |
| Quick ratio | 0.6x | 0.6x | 0.5x | 0.5x | 0.6x |
Insider trades
Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, 2 insiders bought $2.3 million of Cencora shares on the open market, and 5 insiders sold $15.1 million, $7.9 million of it under trading plans set up in advance.
| Date | Insider | Trade | Shares | Price | Value | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Lazarus KrikorianSVP & Chief Accounting Officer | Sold plan | 986 | $303.18 | $298,935 | Form 4 |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Lon R GreenbergDirector | Sold | 1,280 | $321.30 | $411,264 | Form 4 |
| Sep 1, 2026 | Lazarus KrikorianSVP & Chief Accounting Officer | Sold plan | 985 | $325.97 | $321,080 | Form 4 |
| Aug 24, 2026 | Elizabeth S CampbellExecutive Vice President | Sold | 11,300 | $324.12 | $3.7 million | Form 4 |
| Jun 22, 2026 | Lauren M TylerDirector | Bought | 550 | $270.23 | $148,626 | Form 4 |
| Jun 18, 2026 | Dermot Mark DurcanDirector | Bought | 4,000 | $274.19 | $1.1 million | Form 4 |
| May 28, 2026 | Dermot Mark DurcanDirector | Bought | 4,000 | $266.26 | $1.1 million | Form 4 |
| Feb 20, 2026 | Robert P. MauchPresident & CEO, Director | Sold plan | 3,762 | $358.94 | $1.4 million | Form 4 |
| Feb 18, 2026 | Robert P. MauchPresident & CEO, Director | Sold plan | 1,333 | $359.46 | $479,160 | Form 4 |
| Jan 20, 2026 | Robert P. MauchPresident & CEO, Director | Sold plan | 5,096 | $354.73 | $1.8 million | Form 4 |
| Dec 19, 2025 | Elizabeth S CampbellExecutive Vice President | Sold | 3,351 | $342.10 | $1.1 million | Form 4 |
| Dec 19, 2025 | Silvana BattagliaExecutive Vice President | Sold | 1,677 | $345.00 | $578,565 | Form 4 |
Piotroski F-score
The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.
| Test | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net income is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Cash from operations is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Return on assets rose | Pass | Fail | Fail |
| Cash from operations exceeds net income | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Debt fell relative to assets | Pass | Pass | Fail |
| Current ratio rose | Fail | Pass | Pass |
| Share count didn't rise | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Gross margin rose | Fail | Fail | Pass |
| Revenue rose relative to assets | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| F-score | 7 of 9 | 7 of 9 | 7 of 9 |
| Accruals ratio | −3.6% | −3.0% | −3.2% |
Compare
Put Cencora side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.
Similar companies
| Company | Year | Revenue growth | Operating margin | Free cash flow margin | Return on capital | Net debt to EBITDA | F-score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cencora | FY25 | 9.3% | 0.8% | 1.0% | — | 0.9x | 7 | |
| McKesson | FY26 | 12.4% | 1.5% | 1.4% | — | 0.4x | 6 | Compare |
| Cardinal Health | FY26 | 14.2% | 1.0% | 1.8% | — | 1.1x | 6 | Compare |
| Henry Schein | FY25 | 4.0% | 5.0% | 4.3% | 7.5% | 3.1x | 6 | Compare |
| Novo Nordisk | FY25 | 6.4% | 41.3% | 19.1% | 36.1% | 0.8x | 6 | Compare |
10 years of figures
| Fiscal year | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income statement | ||||||||||
| Revenue | 146.8 | 153.1 | 167.9 | 179.6 | 189.9 | 214.0 | 238.6 | 262.2 | 294.0 | 321.3 |
| Revenue growth | 8.0% | 4.3% | 9.7% | 6.9% | 5.7% | 12.7% | 11.5% | 9.9% | 12.1% | 9.3% |
| Gross profit | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 6.9 | 8.3 | 9.0 | 9.9 | 11.5 |
| Research and development | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Operating income | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.1 | −5.1 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Net income | 1.4 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 0.9 | −3.4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Diluted EPS (US$) | 6.32 | 1.64 | 7.53 | 4.04 | −16.65 | 7.39 | 8.04 | 8.53 | 7.53 | 7.96 |
| Diluted shares (millions) | 226 | 222 | 220 | 212 | 205 | 208 | 211 | 205 | 200 | 195 |
| Cash flow | ||||||||||
| Cash from operations | 3.2 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.9 |
| Capital expenditure | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Free cash flow | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
| Dividends paid | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Share buybacks | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.4 |
| Acquisitions | 2.7 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 5.6 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 4.1 |
| Stock-based compensation | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Balance sheet at fiscal year end | ||||||||||
| Cash and short-term investments | 2.7 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 4.4 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 6.7 | 5.7 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 7.7 |
| Total assets | 33.6 | 35.3 | 37.7 | 39.2 | 44.3 | 57.3 | 56.6 | 62.6 | 67.1 | 76.6 |
| Total liabilities | 31.5 | 33.3 | 34.6 | 36.2 | 45.1 | 56.8 | 56.5 | 61.9 | 66.3 | 74.8 |
| Shareholders' equity | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 2.9 | −1.0 | 0.2 | −0.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.5 |
| Margins and ratios | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 2.9% | 3.0% | 2.8% | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.6% |
| Operating margin | 1.0% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.6% | −2.7% | 1.1% | 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Net margin | 1.0% | 0.2% | 1.0% | 0.5% | −1.8% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Free cash flow margin | 1.9% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| Return on capital | — | — | 36.4% | 22.7% | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Return on equity | — | 17.4% | 66.4% | 29.4% | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Return on assets | 4.6% | 1.1% | 4.5% | 2.2% | −8.2% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 2.9% | 2.3% | 2.2% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 0.8x | 0.7x | 0.9x | 0.5x | — | 1.4x | 0.8x | 0.7x | 0.4x | 0.9x |