ALC vs BDX vs ABT Stock Comparison

Alcon, Becton Dickinson and Abbott Laboratories Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ALC Alcon Inc
$73.60 +15.5% 1M -0.4% 1Y
Market cap
$35.87B
P/E
56.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$10.80B
Div. yield
0.38%
Medical Devices Healthcare
1 win
BDX Becton Dickinson & Co
$198.54 +12.3% 1M +11.1% 1Y
Market cap
$54.08B
P/E
58.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$23.25B
Div. yield
2.12%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
3 wins
ABT Abbott Laboratories
$110.27 +13.1% 1M -10.8% 1Y
Market cap
$190.81B
P/E
35.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$46.59B
Div. yield
2.29%
Medical Devices Healthcare
8 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Abbott Laboratories leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Abbott Laboratories 8, Becton Dickinson 3, Alcon 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionALCBDXABTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $35.87B $54.08B $190.81B ABT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 56.5x 58.0x 35.4x ABT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.9x 15.3x 19.4x BDX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.5% +17.4% +8.1% BDX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 6.0% 4.0% 11.6% ABT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.6% 5.3% 6.2% ABT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 3.2x 2.5x ABT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.38% 2.12% 2.29% ABT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -0.4% +11.1% -10.8% BDX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -3.1%/yr -4.3%/yr -3.0%/yr ABT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.8% 31.9% 27.8% ABT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 68/100 67/100 57/100 ALC

Percentile Scorecard

ALCBDXABT

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

AxisALCBDXABT
Valuation 77 #52 of 227 89 #25 of 227 67 #76 of 227
Growth 49 #113 of 220 48 #115 of 220 28 #158 of 220
Profitability 76 #51 of 209 77 #49 of 209 85 #33 of 209
Financial Health 61 #95 of 240 26 #177 of 240 37 #152 of 240
Shareholder Returns 76 #34 of 138 95 #8 of 138 66 #47 of 138
Overall 68 67 57
  • ALC ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • BDX ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ABT 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

PeriodALCBDXABTSPY
1 month +15.5%+12.3%+13.1% -2.3%
3 months +4.8%+16.7%+2.9% -0.7%
6 months +0.2%+35.7%+26.0% +4.8%
Year to date -6.6%+2.3%-12.0% +10.3%
1 year -0.4%+11.1%-10.8% +10.3%
3 years -1.0%-23.3%+15.1% +73.0%
3 years, per year -0.3%-8.5%+4.8% +20.1%
5 years -14.7%-19.6%-14.3% +61.9%
5 years, per year -3.1%-4.3%-3.0% +10.1%
10 years —+19.0%+184.9% +258.6%
10 years, per year —+1.8%+11.0% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureALCBDXABTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.8%31.9%27.8% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.1%33.3%27.6% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.370.32-0.04 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.010.35-0.39 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.4%-50.4%-41.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -15.6%-5.5%-15.6% -3.5%
52-week high $87.18$210.02$130.59 $779.14
52-week low $62.02$140.71$82.56 $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.

MultipleALCBDXABT
P/E now vs peer median 56.5xmedian 28.4x 58.0xmedian 28.4x 35.4xmedian 28.4x
P/S now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 3.0x 2.3xmedian 3.0x 4.1xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 18.0x 14.1xmedian 18.0x 20.2xmedian 18.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 20.6xmedian 25.0x 16.9xmedian 25.0x 24.4xmedian 25.0x
P/B now vs peer median 1.7xmedian 2.3x 2.2xmedian 2.3x 3.7xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 2.69median 0.93 -3.97median 0.93 19.46median 0.93

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 monthsALCBDXABT
Revenue $10.80B $23.25B $46.59B
Gross profit $6.17B $10.91B $26.37B
Operating income $948.00M $2.48B $7.35B
Net income $643.00M $941.00M $5.43B
Free cash flow $1.74B $3.20B $7.82B
R&D $1.43B $1.37B $3.16B
EPS (diluted) $1.30 $3.42 $3.11
Cash & equivalents $1.36B $708.00M $5.10B
Total debt $4.72B $16.81B $32.61B
Shares (diluted) 496.20M 275.16M 1.74B
Enterprise value $26.84B $51.23B $161.89B

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
MetricALCBDXABT
P/E 56.5x 58.0x 35.4x
P/FCF 20.6x 16.9x 24.4x
P/Operating cash flow 15.5x 13.7x 19.3x
P/S 3.3x 2.3x 4.1x
P/B 1.7x 2.2x 3.7x
P/Tangible book 2.7x 2.3x 5.5x
EV/EBITDA – 14.1x 20.2x
EV/EBIT 40.6x 28.3x 29.7x
EV/Revenue 3.6x 3.0x 4.7x
EV/FCF 22.1x 21.9x 27.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 16.7x 17.7x 22.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.69 -3.97 19.46

Growth

14 metrics
MetricALCBDXABT
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.5% 17.4% 8.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 6.9% 5.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 23.7% 9.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.3% 8.5% 5.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) -34.3% 13.0% -2.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 3.3% 6.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -40.1% -40.6% -61.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 21.1% -17.3% 1.7%
EPS growth (1Y) -40.7% -38.0% -61.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 21.0% -14.6% 1.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 10.3% 43.5% 9.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.9% 14.5% 9.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 7.5% 54.2% 15.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 48.0% 22.5% 12.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricALCBDXABT
Gross margin 57.2% 46.9% 56.6%
EBITDA margin – 21.4% 23.2%
Operating margin 8.8% 10.7% 15.8%
Pretax margin 6.9% 8.4% 16.1%
Net margin 6.0% 4.0% 11.6%
FCF margin 16.1% 13.8% 16.8%
Operating cash flow margin 21.4% 17.0% 21.3%
Return on equity 2.9% 3.9% 10.4%
Return on assets 2.1% 1.9% 4.9%
Return on invested capital 3.6% 5.3% 6.2%
Return on capital employed 3.4% 6.0% 8.0%
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.5x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.6x 4.2x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue 1.6% 1.2% 1.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricALCBDXABT
Debt / assets 15.2% 33.1% 29.9%
Debt / equity 0.2x 0.7x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA – 3.2x 2.5x
Debt / FCF 2.7x 5.2x 4.2x
Liabilities / assets 30.6% 51.9% 52.6%
Equity / assets 69.4% 48.1% 47.4%
Interest coverage 9.2x 4.2x 9.6x
Current ratio 2.1x 0.9x 1.4x
Quick ratio 1.3x 0.3x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.7x 0.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score – 2.31 3.35

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricALCBDXABT
Dividend yield 0.4% 2.1% 2.3%
Net buyback yield 2.5% 4.6% 0.9%
Shareholder yield 2.9% 6.7% 3.1%
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.

ConsensusALCBDXABT
Forward P/E 22.9xFY2026 15.3xFY2026 19.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.22FY2026 $12.99FY2026 $5.69FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +7.7%FY2026 +14.8%FY2026 +10.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +15.5% -2.9% +10.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $10.50BFY2026 $18.11BFY2026 $53.00BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +4.3%FY2026 -17.1%FY2026 +19.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.1% +11.6% -2.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersALCBDXABT
Held by institutions 48.8% 96.1% 79.2%
Institutions holding 631 1,444 2,982
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.3% +0.6% +0.3%
Institutions buying 227 688 1,260
Institutions selling 274 545 1,379
Buyers to sellers 0.83 1.26 0.91

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.

ALCBDXABT
ALC 1.00 0.31 0.44
BDX 0.31 1.00 0.36
ABT 0.44 0.36 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ALC, BDX and ABT?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Alcon (ALC) $35.87B, Becton Dickinson (BDX) $54.08B, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) $190.81B.

Which stock is cheaper, ALC, BDX and ABT?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Alcon (ALC) 56.5x, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 58.0x, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 35.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Becton Dickinson (BDX) is cheapest (Alcon (ALC) 22.9x, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 15.3x, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 19.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Becton Dickinson (BDX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Alcon (ALC) +8.5%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) +17.4%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) +8.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) has the highest net margin (Alcon (ALC) 6.0%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 4.0%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 11.6%). On return on invested capital, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) leads (Alcon (ALC) 3.6%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 5.3%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 6.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Becton Dickinson (BDX) returned the most: Alcon (ALC) -0.4%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) +11.1%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) -10.8%. Over five years, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) compounded fastest (Alcon (ALC) -3.1%/yr, Becton Dickinson (BDX) -4.3%/yr, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) -3.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) has the highest dividend yield: Alcon (ALC) 0.38%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 2.12%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 2.29%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) has been the steadiest (Alcon (ALC) 28.8%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 31.9%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 27.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 8. 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.