ABT vs. ALGN: Abbott Laboratories vs. Align Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Align (ALGN)
Profile Item	ABT	ALGN
Name	Abbott Laboratories	Align Technology Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
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	11.70 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	January 30, 2001
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ABT

ALGN

GSPC

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Align (ALGN), 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 Align (ALGN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Align (ALGN)
Metric	ABT	ALGN
Total Return (1Y)	-10.78%	27.43%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	7.79%	-2.84%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-0.79%	-24.73%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ABT

ALGN

GSPC

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Align (ALGN), 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 Align (ALGN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Align (ALGN) has an aggressive beta of 1.67, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is defensive at 0.53 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Align (ALGN)
Metric	ABT	ALGN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.48%	40.49%
Beta (5Y)	0.53	1.67
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-39.64%	-82.44%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.74M	942.14K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ABT and ALGN 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 Align (ALGN)
Metric	ABT	ALGN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.53	0.57
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.76	0.89

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 9.14% and Align (ALGN) at 11.91% 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%

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.91%

Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
ALGN: 11.91%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 9.75% and Align (ALGN) at 11.83% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.83%

Max: 29.35%
ALGN: 11.83%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Align (ALGN) at 20.13% 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%

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

20.13%

Max: 35.43%
ALGN: 20.13%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Align (ALGN)
Metric	ABT	ALGN
ROE (TTM)	9.14%	11.91%
ROA (TTM)	4.90%	8.01%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.75%	11.83%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.66%	20.13%
Gross Margin (TTM)	57.17%	71.53%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 5.67% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Align (ALGN) at 0.90% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Align (ALGN) at 0.53% 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. Align (ALGN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Align (ALGN)
Metric	ABT	ALGN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.67%	0.90%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.51%	2.61%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-51.31%	0.53%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.65%	7.02%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 1.46 and Align (ALGN) at 1.43 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

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.43

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
ALGN: 1.43
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Align (ALGN) at 0.03 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 0.61 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.03

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
ALGN: 0.03
Min: 0.00

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Align (ALGN): 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 Align (ALGN)
Metric	ABT	ALGN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.46	1.43
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.61	0.03
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.37	-1.04

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Align (ALGN) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Abbott Laboratories (ABT) reports a yield of 2.22%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

ALGN: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Align (ALGN) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Abbott Laboratories (ABT) reports a payout of 92.54%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

ALGN: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Align (ALGN)
Metric	ABT	ALGN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.22%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	92.54%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 41.02 and Align (ALGN) at 24.20 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

24.20

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
ALGN: 24.20
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Align (ALGN): 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 Align (ALGN) at 2.81 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

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.81

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
ALGN: 2.81
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 3.73 and Align (ALGN) at 2.73 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.73

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
ALGN: 2.73
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Align (ALGN): 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 Align (ALGN)
Metric	ABT	ALGN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	41.02	24.20
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.95	2.81
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.73	2.73
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.19%	4.90%