ALC vs BAX vs STVN Stock Comparison

Alcon, Baxter International and Stevanato Group S.p.A Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ALC Alcon Inc
$69.81 +7.0% 1M -6.7% 1Y
Market cap
$34.03B
P/E
53.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$10.80B
Div. yield
0.40%
Medical Devices Healthcare
5 wins
BAX Baxter International Inc
$25.49 +8.5% 1M +11.5% 1Y
Market cap
$13.18B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$5.55B
Div. yield
0.16%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
2 wins
STVN Stevanato Group S.p.A.
$19.46 -9.3% 1M -24.5% 1Y
Market cap
$5.89B
P/E
33.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.43B
Div. yield
0.26%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Alcon leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Alcon 5, Stevanato Group S.p.A 5, Baxter International 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionALCBAXSTVNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $34.03B $13.18B $5.89B ALC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 53.5x -12.4x 33.8x STVN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 21.7x 12.9x 29.5x BAX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.5% -49.1% +14.8% STVN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 6.0% -19.2% 11.0% STVN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.6% 3.4% 7.2% STVN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 4.8x 1.2x STVN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.40% 0.16% 0.26% ALC
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -6.7% +11.5% -24.5% BAX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -3.5%/yr -20.3%/yr -5.4%/yr ALC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.6% 44.4% 45.6% ALC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 68/100 45/100 67/100 ALC

Percentile Scorecard

ALCBAXSTVN

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

AxisALCBAXSTVN
Valuation 79 #48 of 227 83 #39 of 227 83 #40 of 227
Growth 48 #114 of 219 21 #174 of 219 57 #95 of 219
Profitability 78 #47 of 205 73 #56 of 205 82 #37 of 205
Financial Health 60 #95 of 237 19 #192 of 237 73 #66 of 237
Shareholder Returns 75 #35 of 135 29 #96 of 135 41 #80 of 135
Overall 68 45 67
  • ALC ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • BAX ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • STVN 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

PeriodALCBAXSTVNSPY
1 month +7.0%+8.5%-9.3% +0.9%
3 months +0.2%+2.9%-4.5% +5.9%
6 months -4.1%+50.8%+19.7% +8.5%
Year to date -11.4%+33.4%-3.3% +13.3%
1 year -6.7%+11.5%-24.5% +12.4%
3 years -0.3%-20.7%-32.2% +88.1%
3 years, per year -0.1%-7.5%-12.2% +23.5%
5 years -16.3%-67.7%-24.2% +68.2%
5 years, per year -3.5%-20.3%-5.4% +11.0%
10 years —-46.0%— +263.4%
10 years, per year —-6.0%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureALCBAXSTVNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.6%44.4%45.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 28.8%48.2%44.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.381.161.12 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.230.26-0.54 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.4%-82.3%-62.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -19.9%-10.1%-24.6% -0.9%
52-week high $87.18$28.35$25.80 $779.14
52-week low $62.02$15.80$13.43 $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.

MultipleALCBAXSTVN
P/E now vs peer median 53.5xmedian 28.8x -12.4xmedian 28.8x 33.8xmedian 28.8x
P/S now vs peer median 3.2xmedian 3.0x 2.4xmedian 3.0x 4.1xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 17.4x 13.5xmedian 17.4x 18.2xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.6xmedian 25.7x 15.7xmedian 25.7x 9.9xmedian 25.7x
P/B now vs peer median 1.6xmedian 2.4x 2.1xmedian 2.4x 3.3xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 2.55median 1.03 -0.43median 1.03 -126.16median 1.03

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 monthsALCBAXSTVN
Revenue $10.80B $5.55B $1.43B
Gross profit $6.17B $3.78B $416.82M
Operating income $948.00M $532.00M $233.97M
Net income $643.00M -$1.06B $157.06M
Free cash flow $1.74B $839.00M $592.88M
R&D $1.43B $542.00M $29.75M
EPS (diluted) $1.30 $-2.05 $0.58
Cash & equivalents $1.36B $2.15B $89.82M
Total debt $4.72B $9.46B $2.11B
Shares (diluted) 496.20M 518.00M 272.96M
Enterprise value $24.99B $5.28B $5.34B

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
MetricALCBAXSTVN
P/E 53.5x -12.4x 33.8x
P/FCF 19.6x 15.7x 9.9x
P/Operating cash flow 14.7x 9.8x 20.3x
P/S 3.2x 2.4x 4.1x
P/B 1.6x 2.1x 3.3x
P/Tangible book 2.6x 6.2x 3.4x
EV/EBITDA – 13.5x 18.2x
EV/EBIT 38.6x 38.5x 26.9x
EV/Revenue 3.4x 3.7x 4.4x
EV/FCF 21.0x 24.4x 10.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.9x 15.3x 21.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.55 -0.43 -126.16

Growth

14 metrics
MetricALCBAXSTVN
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.5% -49.1% 14.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.9% -23.5% 9.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% -1.8% 19.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.3% -5.2% 6.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) -34.3% -50.8% 17.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 29.5% 4.5%
Net income growth (1Y) -40.1% -604.0% 7.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 21.1% 28.0% 0.8%
EPS growth (1Y) -40.7% -580.5% 6.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 21.0% 28.6% -0.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 10.3% 56.3% 30.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.9% -4.8% 32.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 7.5% 153.5% 17.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 48.0% -9.5% 8.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricALCBAXSTVN
Gross margin 57.2% 68.1% 29.2%
EBITDA margin – 27.3% 24.1%
Operating margin 8.8% 9.6% 16.4%
Pretax margin 6.9% 5.1% 15.7%
Net margin 6.0% -19.2% 11.0%
FCF margin 16.1% 15.1% 41.5%
Operating cash flow margin 21.4% 24.2% 20.3%
Return on equity 2.9% -17.4% 8.9%
Return on assets 2.1% -5.4% 5.3%
Return on invested capital 3.6% 3.4% 7.2%
Return on capital employed 3.4% 3.3% –
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.3x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.6x -1.3x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue 1.6% 2.1% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricALCBAXSTVN
Debt / assets 15.2% 47.8% 17.0%
Debt / equity 0.2x 1.5x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA – 4.8x 1.2x
Debt / FCF 2.7x 11.3x 0.9x
Liabilities / assets 30.6% 68.6% 40.8%
Equity / assets 69.4% 31.4% 59.2%
Interest coverage 9.2x – 14.9x
Current ratio 2.1x 1.9x –
Quick ratio 1.3x 1.1x –
Cash ratio 0.7x 0.6x –
Altman Z-score – 2.13 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricALCBAXSTVN
Dividend yield 0.4% 0.2% 0.3%
Net buyback yield 2.7% -0.2% –
Shareholder yield 3.1% 0.0% 0.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) – -17.3% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 21.9% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – -60.8% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -32.0% –

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.

ConsensusALCBAXSTVN
Forward P/E 21.7xFY2026 12.9xFY2026 29.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.22FY2026 $1.98FY2026 $0.66FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +7.7%FY2026 -10.4%FY2026 +4.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +15.5% -3.5% +15.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $10.50BFY2026 $11.05BFY2026 $1.46BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +4.3%FY2026 -1.7%FY2026 +5.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.1% +11.7% +10.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersALCBAXSTVN
Held by institutions 48.8% 100.0% 16.4%
Institutions holding 629 690 126
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.3% +5.2% +0.4%
Institutions buying 225 359 61
Institutions selling 274 193 52
Buyers to sellers 0.82 1.86 1.17

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.

ALCBAXSTVN
ALC 1.00 0.38 0.14
BAX 0.38 1.00 0.20
STVN 0.14 0.20 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ALC, BAX and STVN?

Alcon (ALC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Alcon (ALC) $34.03B, Baxter International (BAX) $13.18B, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) $5.89B.

Which stock is cheaper, ALC, BAX and STVN?

Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Alcon (ALC) 53.5x, Baxter International (BAX) -12.4x, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) 33.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Baxter International (BAX) is cheapest (Alcon (ALC) 21.7x, Baxter International (BAX) 12.9x, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) 29.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Alcon (ALC) +8.5%, Baxter International (BAX) -49.1%, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) +14.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) has the highest net margin (Alcon (ALC) 6.0%, Baxter International (BAX) -19.2%, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) 11.0%). On return on invested capital, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) leads (Alcon (ALC) 3.6%, Baxter International (BAX) 3.4%, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) 7.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Baxter International (BAX) returned the most: Alcon (ALC) -6.7%, Baxter International (BAX) +11.5%, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) -24.5%. Over five years, Alcon (ALC) compounded fastest (Alcon (ALC) -3.5%/yr, Baxter International (BAX) -20.3%/yr, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) -5.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Alcon (ALC) has the highest dividend yield: Alcon (ALC) 0.40%, Baxter International (BAX) 0.16%, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) 0.26%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Alcon (ALC) has been the steadiest (Alcon (ALC) 28.6%, Baxter International (BAX) 44.4%, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) 45.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ALC, BAX and STVN?

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