ALC vs BDX vs ISRG Stock Comparison

Alcon, Becton Dickinson and Intuitive Surgical Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ALC Alcon Inc
$69.42 +7.7% 1M -8.8% 1Y
Market cap
$33.84B
P/E
53.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$10.80B
Div. yield
0.40%
Medical Devices Healthcare
1 win
BDX Becton Dickinson & Co
$194.95 +6.1% 1M +4.2% 1Y
Market cap
$53.10B
P/E
56.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$23.25B
Div. yield
2.15%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
4 wins
ISRG Intuitive Surgical Inc
$445.88 +10.0% 1M -19.1% 1Y
Market cap
$154.54B
P/E
52.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.58B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

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

QuestionALCBDXISRGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $33.84B $53.10B $154.54B ISRG
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 53.2x 56.9x 52.6x ISRG
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 21.6x 15.0x 38.9x BDX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.5% +17.4% +20.5% ISRG
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 6.0% 4.0% 25.5% ISRG
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.6% 5.3% — BDX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 3.2x — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.40% 2.15% — BDX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -8.8% +4.2% -19.1% BDX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -3.5%/yr -4.0%/yr +4.6%/yr ISRG
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.6% 31.9% 34.6% ALC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 68/100 68/100 80/100 ISRG

Percentile Scorecard

ALCBDXISRG

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

AxisALCBDXISRG
Valuation 79 #48 of 227 90 #23 of 227 54 #106 of 227
Growth 48 #114 of 219 49 #113 of 219 80 #45 of 219
Profitability 76 #50 of 206 79 #45 of 206 98 #6 of 206
Financial Health 60 #96 of 238 27 #175 of 238 78 #53 of 238
Shareholder Returns 74 #35 of 134 96 #7 of 134 92 #12 of 134
Overall 68 68 80
  • ALC ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • BDX 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

PeriodALCBDXISRGSPY
1 month +7.7%+6.1%+10.0% -0.2%
3 months +0.4%+17.2%+23.2% +3.9%
6 months -7.9%+30.4%-4.4% +8.2%
Year to date -11.9%+0.5%-21.3% +12.9%
1 year -8.8%+4.2%-19.1% +12.3%
3 years -0.9%-22.5%+72.2% +87.4%
3 years, per year -0.3%-8.2%+19.9% +23.3%
5 years -16.1%-18.3%+25.4% +67.9%
5 years, per year -3.5%-4.0%+4.6% +10.9%
10 years —+16.6%+505.1% +261.1%
10 years, per year —+1.5%+19.7% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureALCBDXISRGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.6%31.9%34.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 28.8%33.0%37.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.380.340.89 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.310.13-0.55 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.4%-50.4%-49.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -20.4%-7.2%-24.8% -1.2%
52-week high $87.18$210.02$592.85 $779.14
52-week low $62.02$140.71$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.

MultipleALCBDXISRG
P/E now vs peer median 53.2xmedian 29.6x 56.9xmedian 29.6x 52.6xmedian 29.6x
P/S now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 2.9x 2.3xmedian 2.9x 13.3xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 17.4x 13.9xmedian 17.4x 36.8xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.4xmedian 22.3x 16.6xmedian 22.3x 43.0xmedian 22.3x
P/B now vs peer median 1.6xmedian 2.3x 2.2xmedian 2.3x 9.6xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 2.54median 1.04 -3.90median 1.04 2.05median 1.04

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 monthsALCBDXISRG
Revenue $10.80B $23.25B $11.58B
Gross profit $6.17B $10.91B $7.78B
Operating income $948.00M $2.48B $3.28B
Net income $643.00M $941.00M $2.97B
Free cash flow $1.74B $3.20B $3.60B
R&D $1.43B $1.37B $1.49B
EPS (diluted) $1.30 $3.42 $8.41
Cash & equivalents $1.36B $708.00M $2.98B
Total debt $4.72B $72.81B –
Shares (diluted) 496.20M 275.16M 351.60M
Enterprise value $24.80B $50.25B $134.96B

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
MetricALCBDXISRG
P/E 53.2x 56.9x 52.6x
P/FCF 19.4x 16.6x 43.0x
P/Operating cash flow 14.6x 13.4x 37.8x
P/S 3.1x 2.3x 13.3x
P/B 1.6x 2.2x 9.6x
P/Tangible book 2.5x 2.2x 10.4x
EV/EBITDA – 13.9x 36.8x
EV/EBIT 38.4x 27.9x 45.8x
EV/Revenue 3.4x 3.0x 13.0x
EV/FCF 20.9x 21.6x 41.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.8x 17.5x 36.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.54 -3.90 2.05

Growth

14 metrics
MetricALCBDXISRG
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.5% 17.4% 20.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 6.9% 19.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 23.7% 21.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.3% 8.5% 19.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -34.3% 13.0% 16.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 3.3% 24.8%
Net income growth (1Y) -40.1% -40.6% 7.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 21.1% -17.3% 24.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -40.7% -38.0% 10.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 21.0% -14.6% 25.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 10.3% 43.5% 38.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 25.9% 14.5% 26.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 7.5% 54.2% 58.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 48.0% 22.5% 42.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricALCBDXISRG
Gross margin 57.2% 46.9% 67.2%
EBITDA margin – 21.4% 35.3%
Operating margin 8.8% 10.7% 28.4%
Pretax margin 6.9% 8.4% 31.3%
Net margin 6.0% 4.0% 25.5%
FCF margin 16.1% 13.8% 31.1%
Operating cash flow margin 21.4% 17.0% 35.3%
Return on equity 2.9% 3.9% 17.3%
Return on assets 2.1% 1.9% 14.8%
Return on invested capital 3.6% 5.3% –
Return on capital employed 3.4% 6.0% 18.7%
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.5x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.6x 4.2x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 1.6% 1.2% 7.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricALCBDXISRG
Debt / assets 15.2% 33.1% –
Debt / equity 0.2x 0.7x –
Net debt / EBITDA – 3.2x –
Debt / FCF 2.7x 5.2x –
Liabilities / assets 30.6% 51.9% 16.7%
Equity / assets 69.4% 48.1% 83.3%
Interest coverage 9.2x 4.2x –
Current ratio 2.1x 0.9x 3.3x
Quick ratio 1.3x 0.3x 2.3x
Cash ratio 0.7x 0.1x 1.6x
Altman Z-score – 2.28 30.55

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricALCBDXISRG
Dividend yield 0.4% 2.2% –
Net buyback yield 2.7% 4.7% 2.8%
Shareholder yield 3.1% 6.9% 2.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

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.

ConsensusALCBDXISRG
Forward P/E 21.6xFY2026 15.0xFY2026 38.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.22FY2026 $12.99FY2026 $11.47FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +7.7%FY2026 +14.8%FY2026 +28.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +15.5% -2.9% +4.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $10.50BFY2026 $18.11BFY2026 $11.60BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +4.3%FY2026 -17.1%FY2026 +15.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.1% +11.6% +11.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersALCBDXISRG
Held by institutions 48.8% 96.1% 86.2%
Institutions holding 629 1,442 2,235
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.3% +0.6% +4.6%
Institutions buying 225 688 1,070
Institutions selling 274 543 877
Buyers to sellers 0.82 1.27 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.

ALCBDXISRG
ALC 1.00 0.30 0.39
BDX 0.30 1.00 0.32
ISRG 0.39 0.32 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ALC, BDX and ISRG?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) is the largest by market capitalisation: Alcon (ALC) $33.84B, Becton Dickinson (BDX) $53.10B, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) $154.54B.

Which stock is cheaper, ALC, BDX and ISRG?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Alcon (ALC) 53.2x, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 56.9x, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 52.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Becton Dickinson (BDX) is cheapest (Alcon (ALC) 21.6x, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 15.0x, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 38.9x). 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: Alcon (ALC) +8.5%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) +17.4%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +20.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) has the highest net margin (Alcon (ALC) 6.0%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 4.0%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 25.5%). On return on invested capital, Becton Dickinson (BDX) leads (Alcon (ALC) 3.6%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 5.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Becton Dickinson (BDX) returned the most: Alcon (ALC) -8.8%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) +4.2%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) -19.1%. Over five years, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) compounded fastest (Alcon (ALC) -3.5%/yr, Becton Dickinson (BDX) -4.0%/yr, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +4.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Becton Dickinson (BDX) has the highest dividend yield: Alcon (ALC) 0.40%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 2.15%. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Alcon (ALC) has been the steadiest (Alcon (ALC) 28.6%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 31.9%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 34.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ALC, BDX 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, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 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.