MDT vs STE vs EW Stock Comparison

Medtronic, Steris and Edwards Lifesciences Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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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
STE STERIS plc
$228.50 +9.4% 1M -5.2% 1Y
Market cap
$22.36B
P/E
27.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.04B
Div. yield
0.01%
Medical Devices Healthcare
2 wins
EW Edwards Lifesciences Corp
$90.81 +5.2% 1M +12.4% 1Y
Market cap
$52.79B
P/E
52.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.51B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionMDTSTEEWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $121.74B $22.36B $52.79B MDT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 23.3x 27.8x 52.5x MDT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 16.9x 19.8x 32.1x MDT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.8% +8.4% +14.6% EW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 13.9% 13.3% 15.4% EW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.9% 9.3% 9.0% STE
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.0x 0.9x -2.3x EW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.01% 0.00% MDT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -0.2% -5.2% +12.4% EW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -5.0%/yr -0.4%/yr -4.9%/yr STE
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 24.7% 26.2% 24.7% MDT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 66/100 75/100 78/100 EW

Percentile Scorecard

MDTSTEEW

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

AxisMDTSTEEW
Valuation 85 #36 of 227 83 #39 of 227 64 #83 of 227
Growth 51 #107 of 219 72 #63 of 219 55 #100 of 219
Profitability 86 #29 of 206 87 #28 of 206 95 #12 of 206
Financial Health 50 #120 of 238 62 #91 of 238 87 #31 of 238
Shareholder Returns 59 #56 of 134 73 #37 of 134 88 #17 of 134
Overall 66 75 78
  • MDT ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • STE ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • EW 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

PeriodMDTSTEEWSPY
1 month +6.0%+9.4%+5.2% -0.2%
3 months +8.1%-0.8%+8.5% +3.9%
6 months +14.7%+4.0%+10.4% +8.2%
Year to date -2.2%-9.9%+6.5% +12.9%
1 year -0.2%-5.2%+12.4% +12.3%
3 years +35.3%+9.1%+47.2% +87.4%
3 years, per year +10.6%+3.0%+13.8% +23.3%
5 years -22.5%-1.9%-22.1% +67.9%
5 years, per year -5.0%-0.4%-4.9% +10.9%
10 years +15.8%+241.5%+195.5% +261.1%
10 years, per year +1.5%+13.1%+11.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureMDTSTEEWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 24.7%26.2%24.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 22.0%25.6%24.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.110.400.58 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.01-0.200.50 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -43.6%-36.5%-54.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.8%-14.9%-4.6% -1.2%
52-week high $105.35$268.65$95.17 $779.14
52-week low $73.75$199.40$75.87 $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.

MultipleMDTSTEEW
P/E now vs peer median 23.0xmedian 29.6x 27.7xmedian 29.6x 52.1xmedian 29.6x
P/S now vs peer median 3.2xmedian 2.9x 3.7xmedian 2.9x 8.0xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.4xmedian 17.4x 14.5xmedian 17.4x 30.2xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 19.6xmedian 22.3x 24.1xmedian 22.3x 36.5xmedian 22.3x
P/B now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 2.3x 3.1xmedian 2.3x 4.9xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 1.59median 1.04 0.31median 1.04 -6.07median 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 monthsMDTSTEEW
Revenue $37.54B $6.04B $6.51B
Gross profit $24.41B $2.68B $5.07B
Operating income $6.79B $1.14B $1.45B
Net income $5.27B $808.10M $1.00B
Free cash flow $6.13B $925.60M $1.43B
R&D $2.92B $115.10M $1.09B
EPS (diluted) $4.07 $8.22 $1.74
Cash & equivalents $1.69B $482.30M $2.91B
Total debt $113.29B $1.89B $598.70M
Shares (diluted) 1.29B 97.90M 577.60M
Enterprise value $86.99B $20.70B $36.80B

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
MetricMDTSTEEW
P/E 23.0x 27.7x 52.1x
P/FCF 19.6x 24.1x 36.5x
P/Operating cash flow 15.0x 17.3x 30.4x
P/S 3.2x 3.7x 8.0x
P/B 2.4x 3.1x 4.9x
P/Tangible book 3.0x 3.9x 5.6x
EV/EBITDA 14.4x 14.5x 30.2x
EV/EBIT 20.6x 20.8x 33.6x
EV/Revenue 3.7x 3.9x 7.5x
EV/FCF 22.8x 25.6x 34.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.4x 18.4x 28.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.59 0.31 -6.07

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMDTSTEEW
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.8% 8.4% 14.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.0% 9.0% 15.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.3% 9.1% 13.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 9.6% 11.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) 10.9% 23.1% -1.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.4% 11.2% 5.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 12.4% 24.6% -75.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 89.1% -10.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 12.4% 25.7% -75.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.5% 89.8% -8.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 12.4% 1.9% 116.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.3% 16.9% 22.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 15.6% 1.8% 143.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.3% 23.3% 26.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMDTSTEEW
Gross margin 65.0% 44.4% 77.8%
EBITDA margin 25.9% 27.0% 24.8%
Operating margin 18.1% 18.9% 22.3%
Pretax margin 17.6% 18.0% 21.8%
Net margin 13.9% 13.3% 15.4%
FCF margin 16.3% 15.3% 22.0%
Operating cash flow margin 21.4% 21.3% 26.4%
Return on equity 10.4% 11.2% 9.5%
Return on assets 5.7% 7.5% 7.4%
Return on invested capital 6.9% 9.3% 9.0%
Return on capital employed 8.3% 12.1% 12.0%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.6x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.6x 1.7x
Stock comp / revenue 1.3% 1.0% 2.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMDTSTEEW
Debt / assets 30.2% 17.6% 4.3%
Debt / equity 0.6x 0.3x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.0x 0.9x -2.3x
Debt / FCF 4.6x 2.0x 0.4x
Liabilities / assets 45.5% 32.7% 22.7%
Equity / assets 54.5% 67.3% 77.3%
Interest coverage 9.4x 18.8x –
Current ratio 2.1x 1.9x 4.5x
Quick ratio 1.3x 1.2x 3.5x
Cash ratio 0.7x 0.4x 2.8x
Altman Z-score 3.00 5.26 12.77

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMDTSTEEW
Dividend yield 3.0% 1.1% –
Net buyback yield 0.2% 1.5% 1.9%
Shareholder yield 3.2% 2.7% 1.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) 69.3% 30.6% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 59.5% 26.7% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.4% 9.9% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 0.2% 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.

ConsensusMDTSTEEW
Forward P/E 16.9xFY2026 19.8xFY2026 32.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.57FY2026 $11.56FY2026 $2.83FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +0.7%FY2026 +13.7%FY2026 +10.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.2% +13.2% +12.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $39.92BFY2026 $6.62BFY2026 $7.24BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +9.8%FY2026 +11.5%FY2026 +19.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.7% -0.3% -2.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMDTSTEEW
Held by institutions 85.1% 97.1% 90.6%
Institutions holding 2,124 829 1,323
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.2% +1.1% +20.4%
Institutions buying 1,013 405 641
Institutions selling 913 300 453
Buyers to sellers 1.11 1.35 1.42

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.

MDTSTEEW
MDT 1.00 0.54 0.33
STE 0.54 1.00 0.34
EW 0.33 0.34 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MDT, STE and EW?

Medtronic (MDT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Medtronic (MDT) $121.74B, Steris (STE) $22.36B, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) $52.79B.

Which stock is cheaper, MDT, STE and EW?

Medtronic (MDT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Medtronic (MDT) 23.3x, Steris (STE) 27.8x, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 52.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Medtronic (MDT) is cheapest (Medtronic (MDT) 16.9x, Steris (STE) 19.8x, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 32.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Medtronic (MDT) +9.8%, Steris (STE) +8.4%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) +14.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) has the highest net margin (Medtronic (MDT) 13.9%, Steris (STE) 13.3%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 15.4%). On return on invested capital, Steris (STE) leads (Medtronic (MDT) 6.9%, Steris (STE) 9.3%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 9.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Edwards Lifesciences (EW) returned the most: Medtronic (MDT) -0.2%, Steris (STE) -5.2%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) +12.4%. Over five years, Steris (STE) compounded fastest (Medtronic (MDT) -5.0%/yr, Steris (STE) -0.4%/yr, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) -4.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Medtronic (MDT) has the highest dividend yield: Medtronic (MDT) 0.03%, Steris (STE) 0.01%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 0.00%. Edwards Lifesciences (EW) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Medtronic (MDT) has been the steadiest (Medtronic (MDT) 24.7%, Steris (STE) 26.2%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 24.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Medtronic (MDT) 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.