STE vs SYK vs ALC Stock Comparison

Steris, Stryker and Alcon Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
STE STERIS plc
$228.75 +8.4% 1M -5.2% 1Y
Market cap
$22.30B
P/E
27.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.04B
Div. yield
1.13%
Medical Devices Healthcare
5 wins
SYK Stryker Corp
$304.34 +10.5% 1M -19.0% 1Y
Market cap
$116.74B
P/E
31.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$25.84B
Div. yield
1.16%
Medical Devices Healthcare
7 wins
ALC Alcon Inc
$69.81 +7.0% 1M -6.7% 1Y
Market cap
$34.03B
P/E
53.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$10.80B
Div. yield
0.40%
Medical Devices Healthcare

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Stryker leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Stryker 7, Steris 5). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionSTESYKALCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $22.30B $116.74B $34.03B SYK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 27.7x 31.3x 53.5x STE
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.8x 19.1x 21.7x SYK
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.4% +8.5% +8.5% SYK
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 13.3% 14.4% 6.0% SYK
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.3% 10.5% 3.6% SYK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.9x 1.7x — STE
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.13% 1.16% 0.40% SYK
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -5.2% -19.0% -6.7% STE
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -0.4%/yr +2.7%/yr -3.5%/yr SYK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.2% 30.6% 28.6% STE
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 76/100 70/100 68/100 STE

Percentile Scorecard

STESYKALC

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

AxisSTESYKALC
Valuation 84 #37 of 227 67 #76 of 227 79 #48 of 227
Growth 72 #63 of 219 67 #74 of 219 48 #114 of 219
Profitability 87 #28 of 205 90 #22 of 205 78 #47 of 205
Financial Health 63 #89 of 237 49 #121 of 237 60 #95 of 237
Shareholder Returns 73 #37 of 135 77 #32 of 135 75 #35 of 135
Overall 76 70 68
  • STE ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • SYK 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

PeriodSTESYKALCSPY
1 month +8.4%+10.5%+7.0% +0.9%
3 months -2.6%-13.6%+0.2% +5.9%
6 months +7.6%-3.4%-4.1% +8.5%
Year to date -9.8%-13.4%-11.4% +13.3%
1 year -5.2%-19.0%-6.7% +12.4%
3 years +9.2%+16.2%-0.3% +88.1%
3 years, per year +3.0%+5.1%-0.1% +23.5%
5 years -2.1%+14.4%-16.3% +68.2%
5 years, per year -0.4%+2.7%-3.5% +11.0%
10 years +241.8%+166.3%— +263.4%
10 years, per year +13.1%+10.3%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureSTESYKALCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.2%30.6%28.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 25.6%31.8%28.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.400.120.38 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.20-0.62-0.23 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -36.5%-33.1%-38.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.9%-21.5%-19.9% -0.9%
52-week high $268.65$387.46$87.18 $779.14
52-week low $199.40$269.88$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.

MultipleSTESYKALC
P/E now vs peer median 27.7xmedian 28.8x 31.3xmedian 28.8x 53.5xmedian 28.8x
P/S now vs peer median 3.7xmedian 3.0x 4.5xmedian 3.0x 3.2xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.5xmedian 17.4x 19.0xmedian 17.4x —median 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 24.1xmedian 25.7x 24.8xmedian 25.7x 19.6xmedian 25.7x
P/B now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 2.4x 4.9xmedian 2.4x 1.6xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 0.31median 1.03 2.84median 1.03 2.55median 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 monthsSTESYKALC
Revenue $6.04B $25.84B $10.80B
Gross profit $2.68B $16.79B $6.17B
Operating income $1.14B $5.53B $948.00M
Net income $808.10M $3.73B $643.00M
Free cash flow $925.60M $4.70B $1.74B
R&D $115.10M $1.66B $1.43B
EPS (diluted) $8.22 $9.66 $1.30
Cash & equivalents $482.30M $3.39B $1.36B
Total debt $1.89B $14.94B $4.72B
Shares (diluted) 97.90M 386.00M 496.20M
Enterprise value $20.65B $102.85B $24.99B

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
MetricSTESYKALC
P/E 27.7x 31.3x 53.5x
P/FCF 24.1x 24.8x 19.6x
P/Operating cash flow 17.3x 21.1x 14.7x
P/S 3.7x 4.5x 3.2x
P/B 3.1x 4.9x 1.6x
P/Tangible book 3.9x 6.4x 2.6x
EV/EBITDA 14.5x 19.0x –
EV/EBIT 20.8x 23.2x 38.6x
EV/Revenue 3.9x 5.0x 3.4x
EV/FCF 25.6x 27.3x 21.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 18.4x 23.2x 15.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.31 2.84 2.55

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSTESYKALC
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.4% 8.5% 8.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 9.9% 5.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.1% 9.9% 11.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 9.6% 11.2% 7.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 23.1% 53.0% -34.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.2% 18.5% 7.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 24.6% 27.8% -40.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 89.1% 11.2% 21.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 25.7% 27.9% -40.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 89.8% 11.0% 21.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 1.9% 15.9% 10.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 16.9% 22.2% 25.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 1.8% 16.8% 7.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 23.3% 24.8% 48.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricSTESYKALC
Gross margin 44.4% 65.0% 57.2%
EBITDA margin 27.0% 26.1% –
Operating margin 18.9% 21.4% 8.8%
Pretax margin 18.0% 19.9% 6.9%
Net margin 13.3% 14.4% 6.0%
FCF margin 15.3% 18.2% 16.1%
Operating cash flow margin 21.3% 21.4% 21.4%
Return on equity 11.2% -3.9% 2.9%
Return on assets 7.5% -1.9% 2.1%
Return on invested capital 9.3% 10.5% 3.6%
Return on capital employed 12.1% 13.7% 3.4%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.5x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.5x 3.6x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 1.0% 1.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSTESYKALC
Debt / assets 17.6% 31.2% 15.2%
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.6x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.9x 1.7x –
Debt / FCF 2.0x 3.2x 2.7x
Liabilities / assets 32.7% 50.0% 30.6%
Equity / assets 67.3% 50.0% 69.4%
Interest coverage 18.8x 9.5x 9.2x
Current ratio 1.9x 2.2x 2.1x
Quick ratio 1.2x 1.1x 1.3x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.5x 0.7x
Altman Z-score 5.26 4.68 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSTESYKALC
Dividend yield 1.1% 1.2% 0.4%
Net buyback yield 1.5% – 2.7%
Shareholder yield 2.7% 1.2% 3.1%
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.

ConsensusSTESYKALC
Forward P/E 19.8xFY2026 19.1xFY2026 21.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.56FY2026 $15.91FY2026 $3.22FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +13.7%FY2026 +16.7%FY2026 +7.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.2% +2.5% +15.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.62BFY2026 $26.14BFY2026 $10.50BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.5%FY2026 +4.1%FY2026 +4.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -0.3% +18.2% +8.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSTESYKALC
Held by institutions 97.1% 80.3% 48.8%
Institutions holding 829 2,264 629
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.1% +3.2% +5.3%
Institutions buying 405 1,102 225
Institutions selling 300 852 274
Buyers to sellers 1.35 1.29 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.

STESYKALC
STE 1.00 0.54 0.53
SYK 0.54 1.00 0.49
ALC 0.53 0.49 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, STE, SYK and ALC?

Stryker (SYK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Steris (STE) $22.30B, Stryker (SYK) $116.74B, Alcon (ALC) $34.03B.

Which stock is cheaper, STE, SYK and ALC?

Steris (STE) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Steris (STE) 27.7x, Stryker (SYK) 31.3x, Alcon (ALC) 53.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Stryker (SYK) is cheapest (Steris (STE) 19.8x, Stryker (SYK) 19.1x, Alcon (ALC) 21.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Stryker (SYK) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Steris (STE) +8.4%, Stryker (SYK) +8.5%, Alcon (ALC) +8.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Stryker (SYK) has the highest net margin (Steris (STE) 13.3%, Stryker (SYK) 14.4%, Alcon (ALC) 6.0%). On return on invested capital, Stryker (SYK) leads (Steris (STE) 9.3%, Stryker (SYK) 10.5%, Alcon (ALC) 3.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Steris (STE) returned the most: Steris (STE) -5.2%, Stryker (SYK) -19.0%, Alcon (ALC) -6.7%. Over five years, Stryker (SYK) compounded fastest (Steris (STE) -0.4%/yr, Stryker (SYK) +2.7%/yr, Alcon (ALC) -3.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Stryker (SYK) has the highest dividend yield: Steris (STE) 1.13%, Stryker (SYK) 1.16%, Alcon (ALC) 0.40%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Steris (STE) has been the steadiest (Steris (STE) 26.2%, Stryker (SYK) 30.6%, Alcon (ALC) 28.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, STE, SYK 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, Stryker (SYK) leads on 7. 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.