BSX vs ALC vs ABT Stock Comparison

Boston Scientific, Alcon and Abbott Laboratories Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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BSX Boston Scientific Corp
$44.33 +4.1% 1M -56.0% 1Y
Market cap
$64.24B
P/E
17.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$21.00B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
8 wins
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
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
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionBSXALCABTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $64.24B $35.87B $190.81B ABT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 17.7x 56.5x 35.4x BSX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.2x 22.9x 19.4x BSX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +13.5% +8.5% +8.1% BSX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.5% 6.0% 11.6% BSX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.5% 3.6% 6.2% BSX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.2x — 2.5x BSX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — 0.38% 2.29% ABT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -56.0% -0.4% -10.8% ALC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +0.7%/yr -3.1%/yr -3.0%/yr BSX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.8% 28.8% 27.8% ABT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 70/100 68/100 57/100 BSX

Percentile Scorecard

BSXALCABT

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

AxisBSXALCABT
Valuation 90 #24 of 227 77 #52 of 227 67 #76 of 227
Growth 85 #33 of 220 49 #113 of 220 28 #158 of 220
Profitability 92 #18 of 209 76 #51 of 209 85 #33 of 209
Financial Health 42 #140 of 240 61 #95 of 240 37 #152 of 240
Shareholder Returns 41 #82 of 138 76 #34 of 138 66 #47 of 138
Overall 70 68 57
  • BSX ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ALC 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

PeriodBSXALCABTSPY
1 month +4.1%+15.5%+13.1% -2.3%
3 months -8.5%+4.8%+2.9% -0.7%
6 months -22.0%+0.2%+26.0% +4.8%
Year to date -53.5%-6.6%-12.0% +10.3%
1 year -56.0%-0.4%-10.8% +10.3%
3 years -15.6%-1.0%+15.1% +73.0%
3 years, per year -5.5%-0.3%+4.8% +20.1%
5 years +3.3%-14.7%-14.3% +61.9%
5 years, per year +0.7%-3.1%-3.0% +10.1%
10 years +105.2%—+184.9% +258.6%
10 years, per year +7.5%—+11.0% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureBSXALCABTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.8%28.8%27.8% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 47.8%29.1%27.6% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.130.37-0.04 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -1.37-0.01-0.39 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -61.6%-38.4%-41.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -57.8%-15.6%-15.6% -3.5%
52-week high $104.98$87.18$130.59 $779.14
52-week low $41.57$62.02$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.

MultipleBSXALCABT
P/E now vs peer median 17.7xmedian 28.4x 56.5xmedian 28.4x 35.4xmedian 28.4x
P/S now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 3.0x 3.3xmedian 3.0x 4.1xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.7xmedian 18.0x —median 18.0x 20.2xmedian 18.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 17.7xmedian 25.0x 20.6xmedian 25.0x 24.4xmedian 25.0x
P/B now vs peer median 2.6xmedian 2.3x 1.7xmedian 2.3x 3.7xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.29median 0.93 2.69median 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 monthsBSXALCABT
Revenue $21.00B $10.80B $46.59B
Gross profit $14.68B $6.17B $26.37B
Operating income $4.15B $948.00M $7.35B
Net income $3.67B $643.00M $5.43B
Free cash flow $3.63B $1.74B $7.82B
R&D $2.15B $1.43B $3.16B
EPS (diluted) $2.49 $1.30 $3.11
Cash & equivalents $539.00M $1.36B $5.10B
Total debt $12.62B $4.72B $32.61B
Shares (diluted) 1.47B 496.20M 1.74B
Enterprise value $59.25B $26.84B $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
MetricBSXALCABT
P/E 17.7x 56.5x 35.4x
P/FCF 17.7x 20.6x 24.4x
P/Operating cash flow 14.2x 15.5x 19.3x
P/S 3.1x 3.3x 4.1x
P/B 2.6x 1.7x 3.7x
P/Tangible book 3.5x 2.7x 5.5x
EV/EBITDA 13.7x – 20.2x
EV/EBIT 18.4x 40.6x 29.7x
EV/Revenue 3.6x 3.6x 4.7x
EV/FCF 21.1x 22.1x 27.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 16.9x 16.7x 22.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.29 2.69 19.46

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBSXALCABT
Revenue growth (1Y) 13.5% 8.5% 8.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 16.1% 5.9% 5.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 16.3% 11.7% 9.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 16.4% 7.3% 5.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) 31.9% -34.3% -2.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 31.5% 7.5% 6.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 46.9% -40.1% -61.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 59.0% 21.1% 1.7%
EPS growth (1Y) 48.6% -40.7% -61.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 61.5% 21.0% 1.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 5.7% 10.3% 9.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 28.7% 25.9% 9.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 4.0% 7.5% 15.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 33.9% 48.0% 12.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBSXALCABT
Gross margin 69.9% 57.2% 56.6%
EBITDA margin 26.5% – 23.2%
Operating margin 19.8% 8.8% 15.8%
Pretax margin 18.4% 6.9% 16.1%
Net margin 17.5% 6.0% 11.6%
FCF margin 17.3% 16.1% 16.8%
Operating cash flow margin 21.6% 21.4% 21.3%
Return on equity 14.3% 2.9% 10.4%
Return on assets 8.2% 2.1% 4.9%
Return on invested capital 10.5% 3.6% 6.2%
Return on capital employed 10.8% 3.4% 8.0%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.3x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 3.6x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue 1.5% 1.6% 1.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBSXALCABT
Debt / assets 27.9% 15.2% 29.9%
Debt / equity 0.5x 0.2x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.2x – 2.5x
Debt / FCF 3.5x 2.7x 4.2x
Liabilities / assets 44.3% 30.6% 52.6%
Equity / assets 55.7% 69.4% 47.4%
Interest coverage 11.4x 9.2x 9.6x
Current ratio 1.2x 2.1x 1.4x
Quick ratio 0.6x 1.3x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.7x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.97 – 3.35

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBSXALCABT
Dividend yield – 0.4% 2.3%
Net buyback yield -0.3% 2.5% 0.9%
Shareholder yield -0.3% 2.9% 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.

ConsensusBSXALCABT
Forward P/E 14.2xFY2026 22.9xFY2026 19.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.12FY2026 $3.22FY2026 $5.69FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.0%FY2026 +7.7%FY2026 +10.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +14.7% +15.5% +10.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $20.67BFY2026 $10.50BFY2026 $53.00BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +3.0%FY2026 +4.3%FY2026 +19.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.6% +8.1% -2.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBSXALCABT
Held by institutions 90.5% 48.8% 79.2%
Institutions holding 1,483 631 2,982
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.7% +5.3% +0.3%
Institutions buying 739 227 1,260
Institutions selling 611 274 1,379
Buyers to sellers 1.21 0.83 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.

BSXALCABT
BSX 1.00 0.29 0.38
ALC 0.29 1.00 0.44
ABT 0.38 0.44 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BSX, ALC and ABT?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Boston Scientific (BSX) $64.24B, Alcon (ALC) $35.87B, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) $190.81B.

Which stock is cheaper, BSX, ALC and ABT?

Boston Scientific (BSX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Boston Scientific (BSX) 17.7x, Alcon (ALC) 56.5x, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 35.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Boston Scientific (BSX) is cheapest (Boston Scientific (BSX) 14.2x, Alcon (ALC) 22.9x, 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?

Boston Scientific (BSX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Boston Scientific (BSX) +13.5%, Alcon (ALC) +8.5%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) +8.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Boston Scientific (BSX) has the highest net margin (Boston Scientific (BSX) 17.5%, Alcon (ALC) 6.0%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 11.6%). On return on invested capital, Boston Scientific (BSX) leads (Boston Scientific (BSX) 10.5%, Alcon (ALC) 3.6%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 6.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Alcon (ALC) returned the most: Boston Scientific (BSX) -56.0%, Alcon (ALC) -0.4%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) -10.8%. Over five years, Boston Scientific (BSX) compounded fastest (Boston Scientific (BSX) +0.7%/yr, Alcon (ALC) -3.1%/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%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 2.29%. Boston Scientific (BSX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) has been the steadiest (Boston Scientific (BSX) 40.8%, Alcon (ALC) 28.8%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 27.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, BSX, ALC 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, Boston Scientific (BSX) 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.