STE vs ABT vs EW Stock Comparison

Steris, Abbott Laboratories and Edwards Lifesciences Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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STE STERIS plc
$228.50 +9.4% 1M -5.2% 1Y
Market cap
$22.26B
P/E
27.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.04B
Div. yield
0.01%
Medical Devices Healthcare
3 wins
ABT Abbott Laboratories
$103.13 +1.8% 1M -18.9% 1Y
Market cap
$179.63B
P/E
38.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$48.23B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
2 wins
EW Edwards Lifesciences Corp
$90.81 +5.2% 1M +12.4% 1Y
Market cap
$52.85B
P/E
52.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.51B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Edwards Lifesciences leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Edwards Lifesciences 6, Steris 3, Abbott Laboratories 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionSTEABTEWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $22.26B $179.63B $52.85B ABT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 27.6x 38.2x 52.6x STE
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.8x 18.1x 32.1x ABT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.4% +10.0% +14.6% EW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 13.3% — 15.4% EW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.3% — 9.0% STE
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.9x — -2.3x EW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -5.2% -18.9% +12.4% EW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -0.4%/yr -4.2%/yr -4.9%/yr STE
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.2% 27.4% 24.7% EW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 75/100 60/100 78/100 EW

Percentile Scorecard

STEABTEW

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

AxisSTEABTEW
Valuation 83 #39 of 227 74 #60 of 227 64 #83 of 227
Growth 72 #63 of 219 17 #181 of 219 55 #100 of 219
Profitability 87 #28 of 206 – 95 #12 of 206
Financial Health 62 #91 of 238 – 87 #31 of 238
Shareholder Returns 73 #37 of 134 90 #15 of 134 88 #17 of 134
Overall 75 60 78
  • STE ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ABT 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

PeriodSTEABTEWSPY
1 month +9.4%+1.8%+5.2% -0.2%
3 months -0.8%-3.9%+8.5% +3.9%
6 months +4.0%+9.9%+10.4% +8.2%
Year to date -9.9%-17.7%+6.5% +12.9%
1 year -5.2%-18.9%+12.4% +12.3%
3 years +9.1%+11.1%+47.2% +87.4%
3 years, per year +3.0%+3.6%+13.8% +23.3%
5 years -1.9%-19.2%-22.1% +67.9%
5 years, per year -0.4%-4.2%-4.9% +10.9%
10 years +241.5%+156.0%+195.5% +261.1%
10 years, per year +13.1%+9.9%+11.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureSTEABTEWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.2%27.4%24.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 25.6%27.5%24.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.40-0.010.58 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.20-0.690.50 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -36.5%-41.6%-54.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.9%-21.0%-4.6% -1.2%
52-week high $268.65$130.59$95.17 $779.14
52-week low $199.40$82.56$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.

MultipleSTEABTEW
P/E now vs peer median 27.7xmedian 29.6x 38.2xmedian 29.6x 52.1xmedian 29.6x
P/S now vs peer median 3.7xmedian 2.9x 3.7xmedian 2.9x 8.0xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.5xmedian 17.4x —median 17.4x 30.2xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 24.1xmedian 22.3x 22.3xmedian 22.3x 36.5xmedian 22.3x
P/B now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 2.3x —median 2.3x 4.9xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.31median 1.04 -12.85median 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 monthsSTEABTEW
Revenue $6.04B $48.23B $6.51B
Gross profit $2.68B – $5.07B
Operating income $1.14B $6.65B $1.45B
Net income $808.10M – $1.00B
Free cash flow $925.60M – $1.43B
R&D $115.10M $3.31B $1.09B
EPS (diluted) $8.22 $2.70 $1.74
Cash & equivalents $482.30M – $2.91B
Total debt $1.89B – $598.70M
Shares (diluted) 97.90M 1.74B 577.60M
Enterprise value $20.59B $179.63B $36.86B

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
MetricSTEABTEW
P/E 27.7x 38.2x 52.1x
P/FCF 24.1x 22.3x 36.5x
P/Operating cash flow 17.3x – 30.4x
P/S 3.7x 3.7x 8.0x
P/B 3.1x – 4.9x
P/Tangible book 3.9x – 5.6x
EV/EBITDA 14.5x – 30.2x
EV/EBIT 20.8x – 33.6x
EV/Revenue 3.9x 3.7x 7.5x
EV/FCF 25.6x – 34.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 18.4x – 28.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.31 -12.85 -6.07

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSTEABTEW
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.4% 10.0% 14.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 6.5% 15.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.1% – 13.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 9.6% – 11.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) 23.1% -13.8% -1.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.2% 3.5% 5.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 24.6% – -75.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 89.1% – -10.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.7% -66.2% -75.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 89.8% -3.0% -8.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 1.9% – 116.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 16.9% – 22.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 1.8% – 143.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.3% – 26.9%

Profitability

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

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSTEABTEW
Debt / assets 17.6% – 4.3%
Debt / equity 0.3x – 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.9x – -2.3x
Debt / FCF 2.0x – 0.4x
Liabilities / assets 32.7% – 22.7%
Equity / assets 67.3% – 77.3%
Interest coverage 18.8x – –
Current ratio 1.9x – 4.5x
Quick ratio 1.2x – 3.5x
Cash ratio 0.4x – 2.8x
Altman Z-score 5.26 – 12.77

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSTEABTEW
Dividend yield 1.1% 2.4% –
Net buyback yield 1.5% – 1.9%
Shareholder yield 2.7% 2.4% 1.9%
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.

ConsensusSTEABTEW
Forward P/E 19.8xFY2026 18.1xFY2026 32.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.56FY2026 $5.69FY2026 $2.83FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +13.7%FY2026 +10.5%FY2026 +10.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.2% +10.4% +12.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.62BFY2026 $53.00BFY2026 $7.24BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.5%FY2026 +19.5%FY2026 +19.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -0.3% -2.2% -2.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSTEABTEW
Held by institutions 97.1% 79.2% 90.6%
Institutions holding 829 2,979 1,323
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.1% +0.3% +20.4%
Institutions buying 405 1,259 641
Institutions selling 300 1,377 453
Buyers to sellers 1.35 0.91 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.

STEABTEW
STE 1.00 0.45 0.34
ABT 0.45 1.00 0.32
EW 0.34 0.32 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, STE, ABT and EW?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Steris (STE) $22.26B, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) $179.63B, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) $52.85B.

Which stock is cheaper, STE, ABT and EW?

Steris (STE) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Steris (STE) 27.6x, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 38.2x, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 52.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is cheapest (Steris (STE) 19.8x, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 18.1x, 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: Steris (STE) +8.4%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) +10.0%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) +14.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

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

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Edwards Lifesciences (EW) returned the most: Steris (STE) -5.2%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) -18.9%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) +12.4%. Over five years, Steris (STE) compounded fastest (Steris (STE) -0.4%/yr, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) -4.2%/yr, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) -4.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

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

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) has been the steadiest (Steris (STE) 26.2%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 27.4%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 24.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, STE, ABT 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, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) leads on 6. 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.