ABT vs. ALC: Abbott Laboratories vs. Alcon Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC) both belong to the Health Care Equipment & Supplies industry, though ABT is classified under Health Care Equipment while ALC falls under Health Care Supplies.

Company profile comparison for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC)
Profile Item	ABT	ALC
Name	Abbott Laboratories	Alcon Inc.
Country/Region	United States	Switzerland
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Health Care Equipment & Services	Health Care Equipment & Services
GICS Industry	Health Care Equipment & Supplies	Health Care Equipment & Supplies
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Equipment	Health Care Supplies
Market Capitalization	190.39 billion USD	36.23 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	April 9, 2019
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ABT

ALC

GSPC

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC)
Metric	ABT	ALC
Total Return (1Y)	-10.78%	1.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	7.79%	1.17%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-0.79%	-2.77%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ABT

ALC

GSPC

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC)
Metric	ABT	ALC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.48%	29.23%
Beta (5Y)	0.53	0.84
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-39.64%	-37.93%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.74M	1.74M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ABT and ALC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC)
Metric	ABT	ALC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.53	-0.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.76	-0.15

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 9.14% and Alcon (ALC) at 2.94% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.14%

Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
ABT: 9.14%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

ALC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.94%

Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
Median: 5.45%
ALC: 2.94%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 9.75% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Alcon (ALC) at 5.92%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

9.75%

Max: 29.35%
ABT: 9.75%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

ALC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.92%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
ALC: 5.92%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Alcon (ALC) at 14.63% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 11.66%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.66%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
ABT: 11.66%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

ALC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

14.63%

Max: 35.43%
ALC: 14.63%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC)
Metric	ABT	ALC
ROE (TTM)	9.14%	2.94%
ROA (TTM)	4.90%	2.80%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.75%	5.92%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.66%	14.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)	57.17%	57.22%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 5.67% and Alcon (ALC) at 4.94% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Alcon (ALC) at -3.41% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at -51.31% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC)
Metric	ABT	ALC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.67%	4.94%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.51%	6.06%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-51.31%	-3.41%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.65%	42.80%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 1.46 and Alcon (ALC) at 2.09 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.46

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
ABT: 1.46
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

ALC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.09

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
ALC: 2.09
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 0.61 and Alcon (ALC) at 0.25 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.61

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
ABT: 0.61
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

ALC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.25

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
ALC: 0.25
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC)
Metric	ABT	ALC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.46	2.09
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.61	0.25
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.37	1.60

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 2.22% and Alcon (ALC) at 0.46% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.22%

ABT: 2.22%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ALC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.46%

ALC: 0.46%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 92.54% and Alcon (ALC) at 26.56% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

92.54%

ABT: 92.54%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ALC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

26.56%

ALC: 26.56%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC)
Metric	ABT	ALC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.22%	0.46%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	92.54%	26.56%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 41.02 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Alcon (ALC) at 56.77 sits in the richer quartile — ALC needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

41.02

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
ABT: 41.02
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

ALC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

56.77

Max: 80.41
ALC: 56.77
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 3.95 and Alcon (ALC) at 3.34 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.95

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
ABT: 3.95
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

ALC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.34

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
ALC: 3.34
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Alcon (ALC) at 1.68 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 3.73 is valued near its industry’s middle — ALC is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.73

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
ABT: 3.73
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

ALC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.68

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
ALC: 1.68
Min: -1.31

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Alcon (ALC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Alcon (ALC)
Metric	ABT	ALC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	41.02	56.77
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.95	3.34
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.73	1.68
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.19%	3.51%