ISRG vs SYK vs STE Stock Comparison

Intuitive Surgical, Stryker and Steris Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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
SYK Stryker Corp
$307.22 +12.3% 1M -19.8% 1Y
Market cap
$117.53B
P/E
31.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$25.84B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
2 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
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Intuitive Surgical leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Intuitive Surgical 5, Steris 4, Stryker 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionISRGSYKSTELeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $157.75B $117.53B $22.41B ISRG
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 53.3x 31.5x 27.8x STE
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 40.9x 19.3x 20.1x SYK
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +20.5% +8.5% +8.4% ISRG
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 25.5% 14.4% 13.3% ISRG
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 10.5% 9.3% SYK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 1.7x 0.9x STE
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -18.0% -19.8% -4.0% STE
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +5.8%/yr +2.2%/yr -0.3%/yr ISRG
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 34.6% 30.6% 26.2% STE
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 80/100 70/100 76/100 ISRG

Percentile Scorecard

ISRGSYKSTE

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

AxisISRGSYKSTE
Valuation 52 #110 of 228 67 #76 of 228 84 #38 of 228
Growth 80 #46 of 222 66 #76 of 222 72 #63 of 222
Profitability 98 #6 of 210 90 #23 of 210 89 #25 of 210
Financial Health 78 #53 of 241 49 #124 of 241 64 #88 of 241
Shareholder Returns 92 #12 of 138 78 #31 of 138 74 #37 of 138
Overall 80 70 76
  • ISRG ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • SYK 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

PeriodISRGSYKSTESPY
1 month +13.6%+12.3%+10.6% -1.0%
3 months +34.0%-7.0%+8.5% +2.9%
6 months -6.2%-6.2%+4.7% +6.4%
Year to date -20.1%-12.6%-8.4% +11.4%
1 year -18.0%-19.8%-4.0% +13.1%
3 years +63.1%+15.9%+6.9% +79.4%
3 years, per year +17.7%+5.0%+2.3% +21.5%
5 years +32.4%+11.4%-1.3% +67.7%
5 years, per year +5.8%+2.2%-0.3% +10.9%
10 years +500.3%+170.2%+239.7% +255.2%
10 years, per year +19.6%+10.5%+13.0% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureISRGSYKSTESPY
Volatility, 1Y 34.6%30.6%26.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.5%31.8%25.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.890.120.40 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.52-0.65-0.15 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -49.9%-33.1%-36.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -23.7%-20.7%-13.5% -2.5%
52-week high $592.85$387.46$268.65 $779.14
52-week low $332.02$269.88$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.

MultipleISRGSYKSTE
P/E now vs peer median 53.4xmedian 30.7x 31.6xmedian 30.7x 28.2xmedian 30.7x
P/S now vs peer median 13.5xmedian 3.0x 4.6xmedian 3.0x 3.8xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 37.3xmedian 17.7x 19.1xmedian 17.7x 14.7xmedian 17.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 43.6xmedian 23.7x 25.1xmedian 23.7x 24.5xmedian 23.7x
P/B now vs peer median 9.7xmedian 2.4x 4.9xmedian 2.4x 3.1xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 2.08median 0.96 2.86median 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 monthsISRGSYKSTE
Revenue $11.58B $25.84B $6.04B
Gross profit $7.78B $16.79B $2.68B
Operating income $3.28B $5.53B $1.14B
Net income $2.97B $3.73B $808.10M
Free cash flow $3.60B $4.70B $925.60M
R&D $1.49B $1.66B $115.10M
EPS (diluted) $8.41 $9.66 $8.22
Cash & equivalents $2.98B $3.39B $482.30M
Total debt – $62.12B $1.89B
Shares (diluted) 351.60M 386.00M 97.90M
Enterprise value $138.04B $103.65B $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
MetricISRGSYKSTE
P/E 53.4x 31.6x 28.2x
P/FCF 43.6x 25.1x 24.5x
P/Operating cash flow 38.3x 21.3x 17.6x
P/S 13.5x 4.6x 3.8x
P/B 9.7x 4.9x 3.1x
P/Tangible book 10.5x 6.5x 4.0x
EV/EBITDA 37.3x 19.1x 14.7x
EV/EBIT 46.5x 23.4x 21.1x
EV/Revenue 13.2x 5.0x 4.0x
EV/FCF 42.4x 27.5x 26.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 37.3x 23.4x 18.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.08 2.86 0.31

Growth

14 metrics
MetricISRGSYKSTE
Revenue growth (1Y) 20.5% 8.5% 8.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 19.1% 9.9% 9.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 21.9% 9.9% 9.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 19.5% 11.2% 9.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) 16.6% 53.0% 23.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 24.8% 18.5% 11.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 7.5% 27.8% 24.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 24.4% 11.2% 89.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 10.8% 27.9% 25.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 25.7% 11.0% 89.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 38.1% 15.9% 1.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 26.4% 22.2% 16.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 58.4% 16.8% 1.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 42.0% 24.8% 23.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricISRGSYKSTE
Gross margin 67.2% 65.0% 44.4%
EBITDA margin 35.3% 26.1% 27.0%
Operating margin 28.4% 21.4% 18.9%
Pretax margin 31.3% 19.9% 18.0%
Net margin 25.5% 14.4% 13.3%
FCF margin 31.1% 18.2% 15.3%
Operating cash flow margin 35.3% 21.4% 21.3%
Return on equity 17.3% -3.9% 11.2%
Return on assets 14.8% -1.9% 7.5%
Return on invested capital – 10.5% 9.3%
Return on capital employed 18.7% 13.7% 12.1%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.5x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.5x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 7.2% 1.0% 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricISRGSYKSTE
Debt / assets – 31.2% 17.6%
Debt / equity – 0.6x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA – 1.7x 0.9x
Debt / FCF – 3.2x 2.0x
Liabilities / assets 16.7% 50.0% 32.7%
Equity / assets 83.3% 50.0% 67.3%
Interest coverage – 9.5x 18.8x
Current ratio 3.3x 2.2x 1.9x
Quick ratio 2.3x 1.1x 1.2x
Cash ratio 1.6x 0.5x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 30.96 4.70 5.32

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricISRGSYKSTE
Dividend yield – 1.1% 1.1%
Net buyback yield 2.7% – 1.5%
Shareholder yield 2.7% 1.1% 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.

ConsensusISRGSYKSTE
Forward P/E 40.9xFY2026 19.3xFY2026 20.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.05FY2026 $15.92FY2026 $11.56FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +23.7%FY2026 +16.8%FY2026 +13.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.5% +2.4% +13.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $11.45BFY2026 $26.14BFY2026 $6.62BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +13.9%FY2026 +4.1%FY2026 +11.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.2% +18.2% -0.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersISRGSYKSTE
Held by institutions 86.2% 80.3% 97.1%
Institutions holding 2,235 2,263 829
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.6% +3.2% +1.1%
Institutions buying 1,070 1,102 405
Institutions selling 877 851 300
Buyers to sellers 1.22 1.29 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.

ISRGSYKSTE
ISRG 1.00 0.53 0.45
SYK 0.53 1.00 0.54
STE 0.45 0.54 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ISRG, SYK and STE?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) is the largest by market capitalisation: Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) $157.75B, Stryker (SYK) $117.53B, Steris (STE) $22.41B.

Which stock is cheaper, ISRG, SYK and STE?

Steris (STE) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 53.3x, Stryker (SYK) 31.5x, Steris (STE) 27.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Stryker (SYK) is cheapest (Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 40.9x, Stryker (SYK) 19.3x, 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: Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +20.5%, Stryker (SYK) +8.5%, Steris (STE) +8.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) has the highest net margin (Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 25.5%, Stryker (SYK) 14.4%, Steris (STE) 13.3%). On return on invested capital, Stryker (SYK) leads (Stryker (SYK) 10.5%, Steris (STE) 9.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Steris (STE) returned the most: Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) -18.0%, Stryker (SYK) -19.8%, Steris (STE) -4.0%. Over five years, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) compounded fastest (Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +5.8%/yr, Stryker (SYK) +2.2%/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: Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 0.00%, Stryker (SYK) 0.00%, Steris (STE) 0.01%. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and Stryker (SYK) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Steris (STE) has been the steadiest (Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 34.6%, Stryker (SYK) 30.6%, Steris (STE) 26.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ISRG, SYK 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.