Seek Returns

ALC vs. BDX: Alcon vs. Becton, Dickinson Stock Comparison

How do Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX) 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

Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX) both belong to the Health Care Equipment & Supplies industry, though ALC is classified under Health Care Supplies while BDX falls under Health Care Equipment.

Company profile comparison for Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX)
Profile ItemALCBDX
NameAlcon Inc.Becton, Dickinson and Company
Country/RegionSwitzerlandUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Equipment & SuppliesHealth Care Equipment & Supplies
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care SuppliesHealth Care Equipment
Market Capitalization36.23 billion USD57.71 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateApril 9, 2019February 21, 1973
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALC
BDX
GSPC
Loading price history…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX), 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

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX)
MetricALCBDX
Total Return (1Y)1.20%57.61%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)1.17%7.79%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-2.77%4.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALC
BDX
GSPC
Loading price history…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX), 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

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX)
MetricALCBDX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.23%26.68%
Beta (5Y)0.840.19
Max Drawdown (5Y)-37.93%-40.06%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.74M1.77M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
ALC and BDX 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 Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX)
MetricALCBDX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.112.00
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.153.59

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 2.94% and Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 5.66% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.66%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
BDX
5.66%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 5.92% and Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 5.89% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.89%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
BDX
5.89%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 14.63% and Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 21.63% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

21.63%

Max
35.43%
BDX
21.63%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX)
MetricALCBDX
ROE (TTM)2.94%5.66%
ROA (TTM)2.80%3.59%
Net Margin (TTM)5.92%5.89%
Operating Margin (TTM)14.63%21.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)57.22%47.02%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Alcon (ALC) at 4.94% and Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 8.24% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Alcon (ALC) at -3.41% and Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at -1.86% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX)
MetricALCBDX
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.94%8.24%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)6.06%4.99%
EPS Growth (YoY)-3.41%-1.86%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)42.80%-0.34%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alcon (ALC) at 2.09 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 0.87 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for BDX.

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

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.87

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
BDX
0.87
Min
0.30
Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 0.25 and Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 0.66 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.66

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
BDX
0.66
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX)
MetricALCBDX
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.090.87
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.250.66
Net Debt / EBITDA1.602.95

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Becton, Dickinson (BDX) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Alcon (ALC) reports a yield of 0.46%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

BDX
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 26.56% and Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 72.49% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

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%

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

72.49%

BDX
72.49%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX)
MetricALCBDX
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.46%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)26.56%72.49%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 41.87 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.

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

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

41.87

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
BDX
41.87
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): 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 Alcon (ALC) at 3.34 and Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 2.97 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.97

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
BDX
2.97
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): 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 Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 2.34 is valued near its industry’s middle — ALC is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

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

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.34

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
BDX
2.34
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
Loading chart…
Alcon (ALC) vs. Becton, Dickinson (BDX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Becton, Dickinson (BDX)
MetricALCBDX
P/E Ratio (TTM)56.7741.87
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.342.97
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.682.34
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.51%7.18%