EW vs ISRG vs STE Stock Comparison

Edwards Lifesciences, Intuitive Surgical and Steris Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
EW Edwards Lifesciences Corp
$89.06 +2.5% 1M +16.4% 1Y
Market cap
$52.18B
P/E
51.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.51B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
3 wins
ISRG Intuitive Surgical Inc
$452.29 +13.6% 1M -18.0% 1Y
Market cap
$157.75B
P/E
53.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.58B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
5 wins
STE STERIS plc
$232.25 +10.6% 1M -4.0% 1Y
Market cap
$22.41B
P/E
27.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.04B
Div. yield
0.01%
Medical Devices Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Intuitive Surgical leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Intuitive Surgical 5, Steris 3, Edwards Lifesciences 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionEWISRGSTELeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $52.18B $157.75B $22.41B ISRG
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 51.9x 53.3x 27.8x STE
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 31.5x 40.9x 20.1x STE
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +14.6% +20.5% +8.4% ISRG
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.4% 25.5% 13.3% ISRG
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.0% — 9.3% STE
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -2.3x — 0.9x EW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +16.4% -18.0% -4.0% EW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -5.2%/yr +5.8%/yr -0.3%/yr ISRG
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 25.4% 34.6% 26.2% EW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 78/100 80/100 76/100 ISRG

Percentile Scorecard

EWISRGSTE

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

AxisEWISRGSTE
Valuation 63 #84 of 228 52 #110 of 228 84 #38 of 228
Growth 54 #102 of 222 80 #46 of 222 72 #63 of 222
Profitability 95 #12 of 210 98 #6 of 210 89 #25 of 210
Financial Health 87 #32 of 241 78 #53 of 241 64 #88 of 241
Shareholder Returns 89 #16 of 138 92 #12 of 138 74 #37 of 138
Overall 78 80 76
  • EW ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ISRG ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • STE 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

PeriodEWISRGSTESPY
1 month +2.5%+13.6%+10.6% -1.0%
3 months +7.8%+34.0%+8.5% +2.9%
6 months +5.8%-6.2%+4.7% +6.4%
Year to date +4.5%-20.1%-8.4% +11.4%
1 year +16.4%-18.0%-4.0% +13.1%
3 years +26.3%+63.1%+6.9% +79.4%
3 years, per year +8.1%+17.7%+2.3% +21.5%
5 years -23.6%+32.4%-1.3% +67.7%
5 years, per year -5.2%+5.8%-0.3% +10.9%
10 years +127.0%+500.3%+239.7% +255.2%
10 years, per year +8.5%+19.6%+13.0% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureEWISRGSTESPY
Volatility, 1Y 25.4%34.6%26.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 24.4%37.5%25.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.610.890.40 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.64-0.52-0.15 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -54.3%-49.9%-36.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.4%-23.7%-13.5% -2.5%
52-week high $95.17$592.85$268.65 $779.14
52-week low $75.87$332.02$199.40 $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.

MultipleEWISRGSTE
P/E now vs peer median 51.1xmedian 30.7x 53.4xmedian 30.7x 28.2xmedian 30.7x
P/S now vs peer median 7.9xmedian 3.0x 13.5xmedian 3.0x 3.8xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 29.5xmedian 17.7x 37.3xmedian 17.7x 14.7xmedian 17.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 35.8xmedian 23.7x 43.6xmedian 23.7x 24.5xmedian 23.7x
P/B now vs peer median 4.8xmedian 2.4x 9.7xmedian 2.4x 3.1xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median -5.96median 0.96 2.08median 0.96 0.31median 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 monthsEWISRGSTE
Revenue $6.51B $11.58B $6.04B
Gross profit $5.07B $7.78B $2.68B
Operating income $1.45B $3.28B $1.14B
Net income $1.00B $2.97B $808.10M
Free cash flow $1.43B $3.60B $925.60M
R&D $1.09B $1.49B $115.10M
EPS (diluted) $1.74 $8.41 $8.22
Cash & equivalents $2.91B $2.98B $482.30M
Total debt $2.39B – $1.89B
Shares (diluted) 577.60M 351.60M 97.90M
Enterprise value $36.19B $138.04B $20.75B

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
MetricEWISRGSTE
P/E 51.1x 53.4x 28.2x
P/FCF 35.8x 43.6x 24.5x
P/Operating cash flow 29.9x 38.3x 17.6x
P/S 7.9x 13.5x 3.8x
P/B 4.8x 9.7x 3.1x
P/Tangible book 5.5x 10.5x 4.0x
EV/EBITDA 29.5x 37.3x 14.7x
EV/EBIT 32.9x 46.5x 21.1x
EV/Revenue 7.3x 13.2x 4.0x
EV/FCF 33.3x 42.4x 26.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 27.7x 37.3x 18.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -5.96 2.08 0.31

Growth

14 metrics
MetricEWISRGSTE
Revenue growth (1Y) 14.6% 20.5% 8.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 15.3% 19.1% 9.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.0% 21.9% 9.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.9% 19.5% 9.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) -1.4% 16.6% 23.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 5.0% 24.8% 11.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -75.8% 7.5% 24.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -10.2% 24.4% 89.1%
EPS growth (1Y) -75.3% 10.8% 25.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -8.6% 25.7% 89.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 116.4% 38.1% 1.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.3% 26.4% 16.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 143.9% 58.4% 1.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 26.9% 42.0% 23.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricEWISRGSTE
Gross margin 77.8% 67.2% 44.4%
EBITDA margin 24.8% 35.3% 27.0%
Operating margin 22.3% 28.4% 18.9%
Pretax margin 21.8% 31.3% 18.0%
Net margin 15.4% 25.5% 13.3%
FCF margin 22.0% 31.1% 15.3%
Operating cash flow margin 26.4% 35.3% 21.3%
Return on equity 9.5% 17.3% 11.2%
Return on assets 7.4% 14.8% 7.5%
Return on invested capital 9.0% – 9.3%
Return on capital employed 12.0% 18.7% 12.1%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.6x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x 1.4x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 2.6% 7.2% 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricEWISRGSTE
Debt / assets 4.3% – 17.6%
Debt / equity 0.1x – 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA -2.3x – 0.9x
Debt / FCF 0.4x – 2.0x
Liabilities / assets 22.7% 16.7% 32.7%
Equity / assets 77.3% 83.3% 67.3%
Interest coverage – – 18.8x
Current ratio 4.5x 3.3x 1.9x
Quick ratio 3.5x 2.3x 1.2x
Cash ratio 2.8x 1.6x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 12.58 30.96 5.32

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricEWISRGSTE
Dividend yield – – 1.1%
Net buyback yield 2.0% 2.7% 1.5%
Shareholder yield 2.0% 2.7% 2.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 30.6%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 26.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 9.9%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 9.7%

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.

ConsensusEWISRGSTE
Forward P/E 31.5xFY2026 40.9xFY2026 20.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.83FY2026 $11.05FY2026 $11.56FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +10.5%FY2026 +23.7%FY2026 +13.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +12.7% +5.5% +13.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $7.24BFY2026 $11.45BFY2026 $6.62BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +19.2%FY2026 +13.9%FY2026 +11.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -2.6% +12.2% -0.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersEWISRGSTE
Held by institutions 90.6% 86.2% 97.1%
Institutions holding 1,323 2,235 829
Change in shares held, QoQ +20.4% +4.6% +1.1%
Institutions buying 641 1,070 405
Institutions selling 453 877 300
Buyers to sellers 1.42 1.22 1.35

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.

EWISRGSTE
EW 1.00 0.44 0.34
ISRG 0.44 1.00 0.45
STE 0.34 0.45 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, EW, ISRG and STE?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) is the largest by market capitalisation: Edwards Lifesciences (EW) $52.18B, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) $157.75B, Steris (STE) $22.41B.

Which stock is cheaper, EW, ISRG and STE?

Steris (STE) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 51.9x, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 53.3x, Steris (STE) 27.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Steris (STE) is cheapest (Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 31.5x, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 40.9x, Steris (STE) 20.1x). 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: Edwards Lifesciences (EW) +14.6%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +20.5%, Steris (STE) +8.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) has the highest net margin (Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 15.4%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 25.5%, Steris (STE) 13.3%). On return on invested capital, Steris (STE) leads (Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 9.0%, Steris (STE) 9.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Edwards Lifesciences (EW) returned the most: Edwards Lifesciences (EW) +16.4%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) -18.0%, Steris (STE) -4.0%. Over five years, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) compounded fastest (Edwards Lifesciences (EW) -5.2%/yr, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +5.8%/yr, Steris (STE) -0.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 0.00%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 0.00%, Steris (STE) 0.01%. Edwards Lifesciences (EW) and Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) has been the steadiest (Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 25.4%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 34.6%, Steris (STE) 26.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, EW, ISRG and STE?

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 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.