ALC vs ABT vs DXCM Stock Comparison

Alcon, Abbott Laboratories and Dexcom Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ALC Alcon Inc
$70.18 +7.3% 1M -8.0% 1Y
Market cap
$34.53B
P/E
53.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$10.80B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
1 win
ABT Abbott Laboratories
$103.69 +0.2% 1M -17.9% 1Y
Market cap
$182.26B
P/E
33.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$46.59B
Div. yield
0.02%
Medical Devices Healthcare
4 wins
DXCM Dexcom Inc
$77.94 -11.2% 1M +9.7% 1Y
Market cap
$30.03B
P/E
30.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.97B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
5 wins

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Dexcom leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Dexcom 5, Abbott Laboratories 4, Alcon 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionALCABTDXCMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $34.53B $182.26B $30.03B ABT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 53.7x 33.6x 30.0x DXCM
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 21.8x 18.2x 27.5x ABT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.5% +8.1% +15.5% DXCM
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 6.0% 11.6% 20.1% DXCM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.6% 6.2% — ABT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 2.5x — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -8.0% -17.9% +9.7% DXCM
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -3.0%/yr -3.9%/yr -11.3%/yr ALC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.6% 27.4% 40.7% ABT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 67/100 57/100 78/100 DXCM

Percentile Scorecard

ALCABTDXCM

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

AxisALCABTDXCM
Valuation 78 #50 of 228 68 #74 of 228 72 #64 of 228
Growth 47 #118 of 222 27 #162 of 222 97 #8 of 222
Profitability 76 #52 of 210 85 #33 of 210 100 #1 of 210
Financial Health 60 #96 of 241 38 #151 of 241 35 #158 of 241
Shareholder Returns 76 #34 of 138 66 #48 of 138 87 #19 of 138
Overall 67 57 78
  • ALC ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ABT ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • DXCM ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodALCABTDXCMSPY
1 month +7.3%+0.2%-11.2% -1.0%
3 months +3.4%+0.6%+8.9% +2.9%
6 months -7.4%+13.8%+26.6% +6.4%
Year to date -11.0%-17.2%+17.4% +11.4%
1 year -8.0%-17.9%+9.7% +13.1%
3 years -4.0%+9.4%-9.7% +79.4%
3 years, per year -1.3%+3.0%-3.4% +21.5%
5 years -14.3%-18.2%-45.0% +67.7%
5 years, per year -3.0%-3.9%-11.3% +10.9%
10 years —+156.0%+286.4% +255.2%
10 years, per year —+9.9%+14.5% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureALCABTDXCMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.6%27.4%40.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 28.9%27.5%40.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.380.000.63 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.28-0.660.24 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.4%-41.6%-66.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -19.5%-20.6%-15.6% -2.5%
52-week high $87.18$130.59$92.34 $779.14
52-week low $62.02$82.56$54.84 $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.

MultipleALCABTDXCM
P/E now vs peer median 53.8xmedian 30.7x 33.3xmedian 30.7x 29.8xmedian 30.7x
P/S now vs peer median 3.2xmedian 3.0x 3.9xmedian 3.0x 5.9xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 17.7x 19.1xmedian 17.7x 19.6xmedian 17.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.7xmedian 23.7x 22.9xmedian 23.7x 20.9xmedian 23.7x
P/B now vs peer median 1.6xmedian 2.4x 3.5xmedian 2.4x 11.2xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 2.57median 0.96 18.30median 0.96 0.65median 0.96

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 monthsALCABTDXCM
Revenue $10.80B $46.59B $4.97B
Gross profit $6.17B $26.37B $3.10B
Operating income $948.00M $7.35B $1.14B
Net income $643.00M $5.43B $999.70M
Free cash flow $1.74B $7.82B $1.41B
R&D $1.43B $3.16B $604.00M
EPS (diluted) $1.30 $3.11 $2.56
Cash & equivalents $1.36B $5.10B $1.11B
Total debt $4.72B $32.61B –
Shares (diluted) 496.20M 1.74B 390.10M
Enterprise value $25.50B $152.69B $20.34B

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
MetricALCABTDXCM
P/E 53.8x 33.3x 29.8x
P/FCF 19.7x 22.9x 20.9x
P/Operating cash flow 14.8x 18.1x 16.8x
P/S 3.2x 3.9x 5.9x
P/B 1.6x 3.5x 11.2x
P/Tangible book 2.6x 5.2x 11.7x
EV/EBITDA – 19.1x 19.6x
EV/EBIT 38.8x 28.1x 24.1x
EV/Revenue 3.4x 4.4x 5.5x
EV/FCF 21.2x 26.4x 19.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.9x 20.8x 15.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.57 18.30 0.65

Growth

14 metrics
MetricALCABTDXCM
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.5% 8.1% 15.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 5.0% 15.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 9.2% 22.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.3% 5.9% 14.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) -34.3% -2.2% 65.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 6.2% 36.5%
Net income growth (1Y) -40.1% -61.2% 74.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 21.1% 1.7% 40.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -40.7% -61.0% 83.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 21.0% 1.8% 45.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 10.3% 9.6% 77.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.9% 9.9% 31.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 7.5% 15.5% 146.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 48.0% 12.5% 44.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricALCABTDXCM
Gross margin 57.2% 56.6% 62.5%
EBITDA margin – 23.2% 28.2%
Operating margin 8.8% 15.8% 22.9%
Pretax margin 6.9% 16.1% 25.8%
Net margin 6.0% 11.6% 20.1%
FCF margin 16.1% 16.8% 28.3%
Operating cash flow margin 21.4% 21.3% 35.2%
Return on equity 2.9% 10.4% 35.8%
Return on assets 2.1% 4.9% 15.3%
Return on invested capital 3.6% 6.2% –
Return on capital employed 3.4% 8.0% 27.2%
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.4x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.6x 1.8x 1.7x
Stock comp / revenue 1.6% 1.5% 3.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricALCABTDXCM
Debt / assets 15.2% 29.9% –
Debt / equity 0.2x 0.6x –
Net debt / EBITDA – 2.5x –
Debt / FCF 2.7x 4.2x –
Liabilities / assets 30.6% 52.6% 59.4%
Equity / assets 69.4% 47.4% 40.6%
Interest coverage 9.2x 9.6x –
Current ratio 2.1x 1.4x 1.7x
Quick ratio 1.3x 0.8x 1.4x
Cash ratio 0.7x 0.3x 0.8x
Altman Z-score – 3.23 6.90

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricALCABTDXCM
Dividend yield 0.4% 2.4% –
Net buyback yield 2.7% 0.9% 1.6%
Shareholder yield 3.1% 3.3% 1.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 78.5% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 54.5% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 7.2% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 7.5% –

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.

ConsensusALCABTDXCM
Forward P/E 21.8xFY2026 18.2xFY2026 27.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.22FY2026 $5.69FY2026 $2.83FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +7.7%FY2026 +10.5%FY2026 +35.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +15.5% +12.8% +4.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $10.51BFY2026 $53.32BFY2026 $5.08BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +4.4%FY2026 +20.3%FY2026 +9.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.0% -1.0% +16.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersALCABTDXCM
Held by institutions 48.8% 79.2% 100.0%
Institutions holding 629 2,977 974
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.3% +0.3% +6.3%
Institutions buying 225 1,258 519
Institutions selling 274 1,376 344
Buyers to sellers 0.82 0.91 1.51

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.

ALCABTDXCM
ALC 1.00 0.43 0.28
ABT 0.43 1.00 0.29
DXCM 0.28 0.29 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ALC, ABT and DXCM?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Alcon (ALC) $34.53B, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) $182.26B, Dexcom (DXCM) $30.03B.

Which stock is cheaper, ALC, ABT and DXCM?

Dexcom (DXCM) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Alcon (ALC) 53.7x, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 33.6x, Dexcom (DXCM) 30.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is cheapest (Alcon (ALC) 21.8x, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 18.2x, Dexcom (DXCM) 27.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Dexcom (DXCM) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Alcon (ALC) +8.5%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) +8.1%, Dexcom (DXCM) +15.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Dexcom (DXCM) has the highest net margin (Alcon (ALC) 6.0%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 11.6%, Dexcom (DXCM) 20.1%). On return on invested capital, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) leads (Alcon (ALC) 3.6%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 6.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Dexcom (DXCM) returned the most: Alcon (ALC) -8.0%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) -17.9%, Dexcom (DXCM) +9.7%. Over five years, Alcon (ALC) compounded fastest (Alcon (ALC) -3.0%/yr, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) -3.9%/yr, Dexcom (DXCM) -11.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Alcon (ALC) 0.00%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 0.02%, Dexcom (DXCM) 0.00%. Alcon (ALC) and Dexcom (DXCM) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) has been the steadiest (Alcon (ALC) 28.6%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 27.4%, Dexcom (DXCM) 40.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Dexcom (DXCM) leads on 5. 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.