Storied healthcare supplies company McKesson (MCK 0.34%) was a slight outperformer on the stock exchange Friday, as investors considered its results for its fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. They liked, if not loved, what they saw, sending the shares to a 0.5% gain on that day. That was good enough to beat the S&P 500 index, which closed ever so slightly down by less than 0.1%.

Healthy improvements in the fourth quarter

After market hours Thursday, McKesson divulged that it earned revenue of $90.8 billion for the period, a meaty 19% improvement over the same quarter the previous year. It also managed to grow its non-GAAP (adjusted) net profit in the teen percentages, with the line item rising 15% to nearly $1.3 billion ($10.12 in per-share terms).

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Despite the strong growth numbers this meant a mixed quarter for McKesson, since the consensus analyst estimate for revenue was $93.5 billion, and that for adjusted profitability was only $9.81 per share.

In its earnings release, McKesson CEO Brian Tyler said, "The strength of our core pharmaceutical distribution business, expansion of our oncology platform, and continued growth of our differentiated biopharma solutions businesses led to strong results."

Within the document, McKesson announced that it intends to hive off its medical-surgical solutions unit into a new, independent company that is yet to be named.

Better apart or together?

McKesson also provided guidance for adjusted net income for the entirety of fiscal 2026. It believes this figure will be $36.75 to $37.55 per share, well above the previous frame's $33.05. The consensus analyst estimate lies at $36.83.

In any situation where a company is dividing itself, the future's usually somewhat fuzzy. I'd imagine both the new business and what's left of McKesson will continue to thrive in a continuously aging U.S. market that requires more healthcare; in my view, this stock is a reliable healthcare title.