MDT vs ISRG vs ALC Stock Comparison

Medtronic, Intuitive Surgical and Alcon Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MDT Medtronic plc
$93.93 +6.0% 1M -0.2% 1Y
Market cap
$121.74B
P/E
23.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$37.54B
Div. yield
0.03%
Medical Devices Healthcare
5 wins
ISRG Intuitive Surgical Inc
$445.88 +10.0% 1M -19.1% 1Y
Market cap
$155.46B
P/E
52.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.58B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
5 wins
ALC Alcon Inc
$69.42 +7.7% 1M -8.8% 1Y
Market cap
$34.41B
P/E
53.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$10.80B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

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

QuestionMDTISRGALCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $121.74B $155.46B $34.41B ISRG
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 23.3x 52.6x 53.5x MDT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 16.9x 38.9x 21.6x MDT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.8% +20.5% +8.5% ISRG
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 13.9% 25.5% 6.0% ISRG
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.9% — 3.6% MDT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.0x — — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -0.2% -19.1% -8.8% MDT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -5.0%/yr +4.6%/yr -3.5%/yr ISRG
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 24.7% 34.6% 28.6% MDT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 66/100 80/100 68/100 ISRG

Percentile Scorecard

MDTISRGALC

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

AxisMDTISRGALC
Valuation 85 #36 of 227 54 #106 of 227 79 #48 of 227
Growth 51 #107 of 219 80 #45 of 219 48 #114 of 219
Profitability 86 #29 of 206 98 #6 of 206 76 #50 of 206
Financial Health 50 #120 of 238 78 #53 of 238 60 #96 of 238
Shareholder Returns 59 #56 of 134 92 #12 of 134 74 #35 of 134
Overall 66 80 68
  • MDT ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ISRG ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ALC 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

PeriodMDTISRGALCSPY
1 month +6.0%+10.0%+7.7% -0.2%
3 months +8.1%+23.2%+0.4% +3.9%
6 months +14.7%-4.4%-7.9% +8.2%
Year to date -2.2%-21.3%-11.9% +12.9%
1 year -0.2%-19.1%-8.8% +12.3%
3 years +35.3%+72.2%-0.9% +87.4%
3 years, per year +10.6%+19.9%-0.3% +23.3%
5 years -22.5%+25.4%-16.1% +67.9%
5 years, per year -5.0%+4.6%-3.5% +10.9%
10 years +15.8%+505.1%— +261.1%
10 years, per year +1.5%+19.7%— +13.7%

Risk

MeasureMDTISRGALCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 24.7%34.6%28.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 22.0%37.4%28.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.110.890.38 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.01-0.55-0.31 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -43.6%-49.9%-38.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.8%-24.8%-20.4% -1.2%
52-week high $105.35$592.85$87.18 $779.14
52-week low $73.75$332.02$62.02 $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.

MultipleMDTISRGALC
P/E now vs peer median 23.0xmedian 29.6x 52.6xmedian 29.6x 53.2xmedian 29.6x
P/S now vs peer median 3.2xmedian 2.9x 13.3xmedian 2.9x 3.1xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.4xmedian 17.4x 36.8xmedian 17.4x —median 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.6xmedian 22.3x 43.0xmedian 22.3x 19.4xmedian 22.3x
P/B now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 2.3x 9.6xmedian 2.3x 1.6xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 1.59median 1.04 2.05median 1.04 2.54median 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 monthsMDTISRGALC
Revenue $37.54B $11.58B $10.80B
Gross profit $24.41B $7.78B $6.17B
Operating income $6.79B $3.28B $948.00M
Net income $5.27B $2.97B $643.00M
Free cash flow $6.13B $3.60B $1.74B
R&D $2.92B $1.49B $1.43B
EPS (diluted) $4.07 $8.41 $1.30
Cash & equivalents $1.69B $2.98B $1.36B
Total debt $113.29B – $4.72B
Shares (diluted) 1.29B 351.60M 496.20M
Enterprise value $86.99B $135.74B $25.37B

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
MetricMDTISRGALC
P/E 23.0x 52.6x 53.2x
P/FCF 19.6x 43.0x 19.4x
P/Operating cash flow 15.0x 37.8x 14.6x
P/S 3.2x 13.3x 3.1x
P/B 2.4x 9.6x 1.6x
P/Tangible book 3.0x 10.4x 2.5x
EV/EBITDA 14.4x 36.8x –
EV/EBIT 20.6x 45.8x 38.4x
EV/Revenue 3.7x 13.0x 3.4x
EV/FCF 22.8x 41.8x 20.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.4x 36.8x 15.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.59 2.05 2.54

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMDTISRGALC
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.8% 20.5% 8.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.0% 19.1% 5.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.3% 21.9% 11.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 19.5% 7.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 10.9% 16.6% -34.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.4% 24.8% 7.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 12.4% 7.5% -40.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 24.4% 21.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 12.4% 10.8% -40.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.5% 25.7% 21.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 12.4% 38.1% 10.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.3% 26.4% 25.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 15.6% 58.4% 7.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.3% 42.0% 48.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMDTISRGALC
Gross margin 65.0% 67.2% 57.2%
EBITDA margin 25.9% 35.3% –
Operating margin 18.1% 28.4% 8.8%
Pretax margin 17.6% 31.3% 6.9%
Net margin 13.9% 25.5% 6.0%
FCF margin 16.3% 31.1% 16.1%
Operating cash flow margin 21.4% 35.3% 21.4%
Return on equity 10.4% 17.3% 2.9%
Return on assets 5.7% 14.8% 2.1%
Return on invested capital 6.9% – 3.6%
Return on capital employed 8.3% 18.7% 3.4%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.6x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.4x 3.6x
Stock comp / revenue 1.3% 7.2% 1.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMDTISRGALC
Debt / assets 30.2% – 15.2%
Debt / equity 0.6x – 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.0x – –
Debt / FCF 4.6x – 2.7x
Liabilities / assets 45.5% 16.7% 30.6%
Equity / assets 54.5% 83.3% 69.4%
Interest coverage 9.4x – 9.2x
Current ratio 2.1x 3.3x 2.1x
Quick ratio 1.3x 2.3x 1.3x
Cash ratio 0.7x 1.6x 0.7x
Altman Z-score 3.00 30.55 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMDTISRGALC
Dividend yield 3.0% – 0.4%
Net buyback yield 0.2% 2.8% 2.7%
Shareholder yield 3.2% 2.8% 3.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 69.3% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 59.5% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.4% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 0.2% – –

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.

ConsensusMDTISRGALC
Forward P/E 16.9xFY2026 38.9xFY2026 21.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.57FY2026 $11.47FY2026 $3.22FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +0.7%FY2026 +28.4%FY2026 +7.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.2% +4.5% +15.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $39.92BFY2026 $11.60BFY2026 $10.50BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +9.8%FY2026 +15.3%FY2026 +4.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.7% +11.3% +8.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMDTISRGALC
Held by institutions 85.1% 86.2% 48.8%
Institutions holding 2,124 2,235 629
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.2% +4.6% +5.3%
Institutions buying 1,013 1,070 225
Institutions selling 913 877 274
Buyers to sellers 1.11 1.22 0.82

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.

MDTISRGALC
MDT 1.00 0.43 0.47
ISRG 0.43 1.00 0.39
ALC 0.47 0.39 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MDT, ISRG and ALC?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) is the largest by market capitalisation: Medtronic (MDT) $121.74B, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) $155.46B, Alcon (ALC) $34.41B.

Which stock is cheaper, MDT, ISRG and ALC?

Medtronic (MDT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Medtronic (MDT) 23.3x, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 52.6x, Alcon (ALC) 53.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Medtronic (MDT) is cheapest (Medtronic (MDT) 16.9x, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 38.9x, Alcon (ALC) 21.6x). 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: Medtronic (MDT) +9.8%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +20.5%, Alcon (ALC) +8.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) has the highest net margin (Medtronic (MDT) 13.9%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 25.5%, Alcon (ALC) 6.0%). On return on invested capital, Medtronic (MDT) leads (Medtronic (MDT) 6.9%, Alcon (ALC) 3.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Medtronic (MDT) returned the most: Medtronic (MDT) -0.2%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) -19.1%, Alcon (ALC) -8.8%. Over five years, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) compounded fastest (Medtronic (MDT) -5.0%/yr, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +4.6%/yr, Alcon (ALC) -3.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Medtronic (MDT) 0.03%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 0.00%, Alcon (ALC) 0.00%. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and Alcon (ALC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Medtronic (MDT) has been the steadiest (Medtronic (MDT) 24.7%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 34.6%, Alcon (ALC) 28.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MDT, ISRG and ALC?

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.