ABT vs ALC vs ISRG Stock Comparison

Abbott Laboratories, Alcon and Intuitive Surgical Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ABT Abbott Laboratories
$113.58 +15.7% 1M -8.8% 1Y
Market cap
$196.71B
P/E
41.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$48.23B
Div. yield
2.22%
Medical Devices Healthcare
6 wins
ALC Alcon Inc
$76.55 +21.2% 1M +3.0% 1Y
Market cap
$37.31B
P/E
58.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$10.80B
Div. yield
0.37%
Medical Devices Healthcare
1 win
ISRG Intuitive Surgical Inc
$468.52 +15.8% 1M -14.6% 1Y
Market cap
$162.39B
P/E
55.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.58B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Abbott Laboratories leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Abbott Laboratories 6, Intuitive Surgical 4, Alcon 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionABTALCISRGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $196.71B $37.31B $162.39B ABT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 41.9x 58.7x 55.3x ABT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 20.0x 23.6x 40.7x ABT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.0% +8.5% +20.5% ISRG
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 9.7% 6.0% 25.5% ISRG
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.7% 3.6% — ABT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.5x — — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.22% 0.37% — ABT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -8.8% +3.0% -14.6% ALC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -1.8%/yr -2.2%/yr +5.1%/yr ISRG
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.3% 29.5% 35.9% ABT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 67/100 79/100 ISRG

Percentile Scorecard

ABTALCISRG

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisABTALCISRG
Valuation 72 #66 of 229 77 #54 of 229 47 #123 of 229
Growth 23 #170 of 221 46 #119 of 221 81 #44 of 221
Profitability 82 #38 of 210 76 #51 of 210 97 #7 of 210
Financial Health 36 #154 of 240 62 #93 of 240 81 #47 of 240
Shareholder Returns 62 #57 of 147 76 #36 of 147 93 #12 of 147
Overall 55 67 79
  • ABT ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ALC ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ISRG ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodABTALCISRGSPY
1 month +15.7%+21.2%+15.8% -5.9%
3 months +5.2%+10.1%+25.4% -4.6%
6 months +30.5%+19.8%+3.3% +0.2%
Year to date -9.3%-2.9%-17.3% +7.5%
1 year -8.8%+3.0%-14.6% +8.2%
3 years +19.6%+3.5%+69.0% +68.3%
3 years, per year +6.1%+1.2%+19.1% +19.0%
5 years -8.7%-10.6%+28.4% +56.5%
5 years, per year -1.8%-2.2%+5.1% +9.4%
10 years +190.6%—+528.0% +251.5%
10 years, per year +11.3%—+20.2% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureABTALCISRGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.3%29.5%35.9% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.6%29.0%38.0% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.070.400.93 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.310.10-0.41 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -41.6%-38.4%-49.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.0%-12.2%-21.0% -5.9%
52-week high $130.59$87.18$592.85 $779.14
52-week low $82.56$62.02$332.02 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleABTALCISRG
P/E now vs peer median 41.9xmedian 26.9x 58.7xmedian 26.9x 55.3xmedian 26.9x
P/S now vs peer median 4.1xmedian 2.9x 3.5xmedian 2.9x 14.0xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 21.2xmedian 17.5x —median 17.5x 38.7xmedian 17.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 29.1xmedian 26.4x 21.4xmedian 26.4x 45.1xmedian 26.4x
P/B now vs peer median 3.8xmedian 2.3x 1.7xmedian 2.3x 10.1xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median -14.56median 0.88 2.80median 0.88 2.15median 0.88

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsABTALCISRG
Revenue $48.23B $10.80B $11.58B
Gross profit $27.46B $6.17B $7.78B
Operating income $6.65B $948.00M $3.28B
Net income $4.70B $643.00M $2.97B
Free cash flow $6.76B $1.74B $3.60B
R&D $3.31B $1.43B $1.49B
EPS (diluted) $2.70 $1.30 $8.41
Cash & equivalents $4.05B $1.36B $2.98B
Total debt $31.16B $4.72B –
Shares (diluted) 1.74B 496.20M 351.60M
Enterprise value $171.17B $28.28B $142.81B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricABTALCISRG
P/E 41.9x 58.7x 55.3x
P/FCF 29.1x 21.4x 45.1x
P/Operating cash flow 22.2x 16.2x 39.7x
P/S 4.1x 3.5x 14.0x
P/B 3.8x 1.7x 10.1x
P/Tangible book 6.1x 2.8x 10.9x
EV/EBITDA 21.2x – 38.7x
EV/EBIT 33.6x 42.1x 48.2x
EV/Revenue 4.6x 3.7x 13.7x
EV/FCF 33.1x 22.9x 44.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 25.2x 17.3x 38.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -14.56 2.80 2.15

Growth

14 metrics
MetricABTALCISRG
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.0% 8.5% 20.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.5% 5.9% 19.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 12.1% 11.7% 21.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.8% 7.3% 19.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -13.8% -34.3% 16.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 3.5% 7.5% 24.8%
Net income growth (1Y) -66.4% -40.1% 7.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -3.1% 21.1% 24.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -66.1% -40.7% 10.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -2.9% 21.0% 25.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -2.9% 10.3% 38.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 25.9% 26.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -2.3% 7.5% 58.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.6% 48.0% 42.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricABTALCISRG
Gross margin 56.9% 57.2% 67.2%
EBITDA margin 21.9% – 35.3%
Operating margin 13.8% 8.8% 28.4%
Pretax margin 13.6% 6.9% 31.3%
Net margin 9.7% 6.0% 25.5%
FCF margin 14.0% 16.1% 31.1%
Operating cash flow margin 18.4% 21.4% 35.3%
Return on equity 9.1% 2.9% 17.3%
Return on assets 4.3% 2.1% 14.8%
Return on invested capital 5.7% 3.6% –
Return on capital employed 7.2% 3.4% 18.7%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.3x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.9x 3.6x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 1.5% 1.6% 7.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricABTALCISRG
Debt / assets 28.8% 15.2% –
Debt / equity 0.6x 0.2x –
Net debt / EBITDA 2.5x – –
Debt / FCF 4.6x 2.7x –
Liabilities / assets 52.3% 30.6% 16.7%
Equity / assets 47.7% 69.4% 83.3%
Interest coverage 6.7x 9.2x –
Current ratio 1.5x 2.1x 3.3x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.3x 2.3x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.7x 1.6x
Altman Z-score 3.46 – 32.00

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricABTALCISRG
Dividend yield 2.2% 0.4% –
Net buyback yield 0.7% 2.4% 2.6%
Shareholder yield 2.9% 2.8% 2.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 92.0% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 64.0% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 6.9% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 7.4% – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusABTALCISRG
Forward P/E 20.0xFY2026 23.6xFY2026 40.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.69FY2026 $3.25FY2026 $11.51FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +10.5%FY2026 +8.7%FY2026 +28.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.2% +15.4% +4.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $53.00BFY2026 $10.60BFY2026 $11.61BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +19.5%FY2026 +5.3%FY2026 +15.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -2.2% +8.0% +11.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersABTALCISRG
Held by institutions 79.2% 48.8% 86.2%
Institutions holding 2,983 631 2,240
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.3% +5.3% +4.6%
Institutions buying 1,261 226 1,072
Institutions selling 1,379 274 879
Buyers to sellers 0.91 0.82 1.22

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ABTALCISRG
ABT 1.00 0.46 0.36
ALC 0.46 1.00 0.42
ISRG 0.36 0.42 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ABT, ALC and ISRG?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Abbott Laboratories (ABT) $196.71B, Alcon (ALC) $37.31B, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) $162.39B.

Which stock is cheaper, ABT, ALC and ISRG?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 41.9x, Alcon (ALC) 58.7x, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 55.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is cheapest (Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 20.0x, Alcon (ALC) 23.6x, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 40.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Abbott Laboratories (ABT) +10.0%, Alcon (ALC) +8.5%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +20.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) has the highest net margin (Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 9.7%, Alcon (ALC) 6.0%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 25.5%). On return on invested capital, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) leads (Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 5.7%, Alcon (ALC) 3.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Alcon (ALC) returned the most: Abbott Laboratories (ABT) -8.8%, Alcon (ALC) +3.0%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) -14.6%. Over five years, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) compounded fastest (Abbott Laboratories (ABT) -1.8%/yr, Alcon (ALC) -2.2%/yr, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +5.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) has the highest dividend yield: Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 2.22%, Alcon (ALC) 0.37%. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) has been the steadiest (Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 28.3%, Alcon (ALC) 29.5%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 35.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ABT, ALC and ISRG?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.