STE vs ISRG vs EW Stock Comparison

Steris, Intuitive Surgical and Edwards Lifesciences Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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STE STERIS plc
$228.75 +8.4% 1M -5.2% 1Y
Market cap
$22.50B
P/E
27.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.04B
Div. yield
0.01%
Medical Devices Healthcare
3 wins
ISRG Intuitive Surgical Inc
$444.18 +7.1% 1M -18.6% 1Y
Market cap
$154.84B
P/E
52.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$11.58B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
5 wins
EW Edwards Lifesciences Corp
$91.80 +5.7% 1M +11.7% 1Y
Market cap
$53.87B
P/E
53.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.51B
Div. yield
–
Medical Devices Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Intuitive Surgical leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Intuitive Surgical 5, Steris 3, Edwards Lifesciences 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionSTEISRGEWLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $22.50B $154.84B $53.87B ISRG
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 27.9x 52.4x 53.6x STE
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.8x 38.7x 32.4x STE
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.4% +20.5% +14.6% ISRG
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 13.3% 25.5% 15.4% ISRG
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% -18.6% +11.7% EW
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -0.4%/yr +4.2%/yr -5.2%/yr ISRG
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.2% 34.6% 24.7% EW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 76/100 80/100 78/100 ISRG

Percentile Scorecard

STEISRGEW

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

AxisSTEISRGEW
Valuation 84 #37 of 227 53 #107 of 227 64 #83 of 227
Growth 72 #63 of 219 80 #44 of 219 54 #101 of 219
Profitability 87 #28 of 205 98 #6 of 205 95 #12 of 205
Financial Health 63 #89 of 237 78 #54 of 237 87 #31 of 237
Shareholder Returns 73 #37 of 135 91 #13 of 135 88 #17 of 135
Overall 76 80 78
  • STE ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ISRG 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

PeriodSTEISRGEWSPY
1 month +8.4%+7.1%+5.7% +0.9%
3 months -2.6%+25.8%+7.0% +5.9%
6 months +7.6%-2.1%+13.0% +8.5%
Year to date -9.8%-21.6%+7.7% +13.3%
1 year -5.2%-18.6%+11.7% +12.4%
3 years +9.2%+71.5%+48.8% +88.1%
3 years, per year +3.0%+19.7%+14.2% +23.5%
5 years -2.1%+23.0%-23.4% +68.2%
5 years, per year -0.4%+4.2%-5.2% +11.0%
10 years +241.8%+499.8%+186.4% +263.4%
10 years, per year +13.1%+19.6%+11.1% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureSTEISRGEWSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.2%34.6%24.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 25.6%37.4%24.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.400.890.58 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.20-0.540.47 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -36.5%-49.9%-54.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.9%-25.1%-3.5% -0.9%
52-week high $268.65$592.85$95.17 $779.14
52-week low $199.40$332.02$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.

MultipleSTEISRGEW
P/E now vs peer median 27.7xmedian 28.8x 52.4xmedian 28.8x 52.7xmedian 28.8x
P/S now vs peer median 3.7xmedian 3.0x 13.3xmedian 3.0x 8.1xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.5xmedian 17.4x 36.6xmedian 17.4x 30.5xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 24.1xmedian 25.7x 42.8xmedian 25.7x 36.9xmedian 25.7x
P/B now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 2.4x 9.6xmedian 2.4x 4.9xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 0.31median 1.03 2.04median 1.03 -6.14median 1.03

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 monthsSTEISRGEW
Revenue $6.04B $11.58B $6.51B
Gross profit $2.68B $7.78B $5.07B
Operating income $1.14B $3.28B $1.45B
Net income $808.10M $2.97B $1.00B
Free cash flow $925.60M $3.60B $1.43B
R&D $115.10M $1.49B $1.09B
EPS (diluted) $8.22 $8.41 $1.74
Cash & equivalents $482.30M $2.98B $2.91B
Total debt $1.89B – $598.70M
Shares (diluted) 97.90M 351.60M 577.60M
Enterprise value $20.83B $135.12B $37.88B

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
MetricSTEISRGEW
P/E 27.7x 52.4x 52.7x
P/FCF 24.1x 42.8x 36.9x
P/Operating cash flow 17.3x 37.6x 30.8x
P/S 3.7x 13.3x 8.1x
P/B 3.1x 9.6x 4.9x
P/Tangible book 3.9x 10.3x 5.7x
EV/EBITDA 14.5x 36.6x 30.5x
EV/EBIT 20.8x 45.6x 34.0x
EV/Revenue 3.9x 12.9x 7.6x
EV/FCF 25.6x 41.7x 34.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 18.4x 36.7x 28.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.31 2.04 -6.14

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSTEISRGEW
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.4% 20.5% 14.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 19.1% 15.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.1% 21.9% 13.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 9.6% 19.5% 11.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) 23.1% 16.6% -1.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.2% 24.8% 5.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 24.6% 7.5% -75.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 89.1% 24.4% -10.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.7% 10.8% -75.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 89.8% 25.7% -8.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 1.9% 38.1% 116.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 16.9% 26.4% 22.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 1.8% 58.4% 143.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.3% 42.0% 26.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricSTEISRGEW
Gross margin 44.4% 67.2% 77.8%
EBITDA margin 27.0% 35.3% 24.8%
Operating margin 18.9% 28.4% 22.3%
Pretax margin 18.0% 31.3% 21.8%
Net margin 13.3% 25.5% 15.4%
FCF margin 15.3% 31.1% 22.0%
Operating cash flow margin 21.3% 35.3% 26.4%
Return on equity 11.2% 17.3% 9.5%
Return on assets 7.5% 14.8% 7.4%
Return on invested capital 9.3% – 9.0%
Return on capital employed 12.1% 18.7% 12.0%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.6x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.4x 1.7x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 7.2% 2.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSTEISRGEW
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% 16.7% 22.7%
Equity / assets 67.3% 83.3% 77.3%
Interest coverage 18.8x – –
Current ratio 1.9x 3.3x 4.5x
Quick ratio 1.2x 2.3x 3.5x
Cash ratio 0.4x 1.6x 2.8x
Altman Z-score 5.26 30.44 12.88

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSTEISRGEW
Dividend yield 1.1% – –
Net buyback yield 1.5% 2.8% 1.9%
Shareholder yield 2.7% 2.8% 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.

ConsensusSTEISRGEW
Forward P/E 19.8xFY2026 38.7xFY2026 32.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.56FY2026 $11.47FY2026 $2.83FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +13.7%FY2026 +28.4%FY2026 +10.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.2% +4.5% +12.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.62BFY2026 $11.60BFY2026 $7.24BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.5%FY2026 +15.3%FY2026 +19.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -0.3% +11.3% -2.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSTEISRGEW
Held by institutions 97.1% 86.2% 90.6%
Institutions holding 829 2,236 1,323
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.1% +4.6% +20.4%
Institutions buying 405 1,071 641
Institutions selling 300 877 453
Buyers to sellers 1.35 1.22 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.

STEISRGEW
STE 1.00 0.45 0.34
ISRG 0.45 1.00 0.45
EW 0.34 0.45 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, STE, ISRG and EW?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) is the largest by market capitalisation: Steris (STE) $22.50B, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) $154.84B, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) $53.87B.

Which stock is cheaper, STE, ISRG and EW?

Steris (STE) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Steris (STE) 27.9x, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 52.4x, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 53.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Steris (STE) is cheapest (Steris (STE) 19.8x, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 38.7x, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 32.4x). 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: Steris (STE) +8.4%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +20.5%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) +14.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) has the highest net margin (Steris (STE) 13.3%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 25.5%, 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%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) -18.6%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) +11.7%. Over five years, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) compounded fastest (Steris (STE) -0.4%/yr, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) +4.2%/yr, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) -5.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Steris (STE) 0.01%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 0.00%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 0.00%. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 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%, Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) 34.6%, Edwards Lifesciences (EW) 24.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, STE, ISRG 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, 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.