STE vs EW vs ABT Stock Comparison

Steris, Edwards Lifesciences and Abbott Laboratories Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
STE STERIS plc
$228.50 +9.4% 1M -5.2% 1Y
Market cap
$22.28B
P/E
27.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.04B
Div. yield
1.13%
Medical Devices Healthcare
3 wins
EW Edwards Lifesciences Corp
$90.81 +5.2% 1M +12.4% 1Y
Market cap
$52.36B
P/E
52.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.51B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
6 wins
ABT Abbott Laboratories
$103.13 +1.8% 1M -18.9% 1Y
Market cap
$178.45B
P/E
38.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$48.23B
Div. yield
2.44%
Medical Devices Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionSTEEWABTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $22.28B $52.36B $178.45B ABT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 27.7x 52.1x 38.2x STE
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.8x 32.1x 18.1x ABT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.4% +14.6% +10.0% 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 1.13% — 2.44% ABT
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -5.2% +12.4% -18.9% EW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -0.4%/yr -4.9%/yr -4.2%/yr STE
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.2% 24.7% 27.4% EW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 75/100 78/100 60/100 EW

Percentile Scorecard

STEEWABT

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

AxisSTEEWABT
Valuation 83 #39 of 227 64 #83 of 227 74 #60 of 227
Growth 72 #63 of 219 55 #100 of 219 17 #181 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 88 #17 of 134 90 #15 of 134
Overall 75 78 60
  • STE ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • EW ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ABT 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

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

Risk

MeasureSTEEWABTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.2%24.7%27.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 25.6%24.5%27.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.400.58-0.01 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.200.50-0.69 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -36.5%-54.3%-41.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.9%-4.6%-21.0% -1.2%
52-week high $268.65$95.17$130.59 $779.14
52-week low $199.40$75.87$82.56 $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.

MultipleSTEEWABT
P/E now vs peer median 27.7xmedian 29.6x 52.1xmedian 29.6x 38.2xmedian 29.6x
P/S now vs peer median 3.7xmedian 2.9x 8.0xmedian 2.9x 3.7xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.5xmedian 17.4x 30.2xmedian 17.4x —median 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 24.1xmedian 22.3x 36.5xmedian 22.3x 22.3xmedian 22.3x
P/B now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 2.3x 4.9xmedian 2.3x —median 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.31median 1.04 -6.07median 1.04 -12.85median 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 monthsSTEEWABT
Revenue $6.04B $6.51B $48.23B
Gross profit $2.68B $5.07B –
Operating income $1.14B $1.45B $6.65B
Net income $808.10M $1.00B –
Free cash flow $925.60M $1.43B –
R&D $115.10M $1.09B $3.31B
EPS (diluted) $8.22 $1.74 $2.70
Cash & equivalents $482.30M $2.91B –
Total debt $1.89B $598.70M –
Shares (diluted) 97.90M 577.60M 1.74B
Enterprise value $20.63B $36.48B $178.45B

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
MetricSTEEWABT
P/E 27.7x 52.1x 38.2x
P/FCF 24.1x 36.5x 22.3x
P/Operating cash flow 17.3x 30.4x –
P/S 3.7x 8.0x 3.7x
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 7.5x 3.7x
EV/FCF 25.6x 34.0x –
EV/Operating cash flow 18.4x 28.3x –
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.31 -6.07 -12.85

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSTEEWABT
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.4% 14.6% 10.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 15.3% 6.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.1% 13.0% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 9.6% 11.9% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 23.1% -1.4% -13.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.2% 5.0% 3.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 24.6% -75.8% –
Net income CAGR (3Y) 89.1% -10.2% –
EPS growth (1Y) 25.7% -75.3% -66.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 89.8% -8.6% -3.0%
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
MetricSTEEWABT
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
MetricSTEEWABT
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
MetricSTEEWABT
Dividend yield 1.1% – 2.4%
Net buyback yield 1.5% 1.9% –
Shareholder yield 2.7% 1.9% 2.4%
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.

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

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSTEEWABT
Held by institutions 97.1% 90.6% 79.2%
Institutions holding 829 1,323 2,979
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.1% +20.4% +0.3%
Institutions buying 405 641 1,259
Institutions selling 300 453 1,377
Buyers to sellers 1.35 1.42 0.91

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.

STEEWABT
STE 1.00 0.34 0.45
EW 0.34 1.00 0.32
ABT 0.45 0.32 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, STE, EW and ABT?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Steris (STE) $22.28B, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) $52.36B, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) $178.45B.

Which stock is cheaper, STE, EW and ABT?

Steris (STE) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Steris (STE) 27.7x, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 52.1x, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 38.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is cheapest (Steris (STE) 19.8x, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 32.1x, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 18.1x). 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%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) +14.6%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) +10.0%.

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

Which pays a higher dividend?

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) has the highest dividend yield: Steris (STE) 1.13%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 2.44%. 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%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 24.7%, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 27.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.