ALC vs. BTSG: Alcon vs. BrightSpring Health Services Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Alcon (ALC) and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) 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 BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but ALC is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies while BTSG is classified in Health Care Providers & Services.

Alcon (ALC) has been public since April 9, 2019, giving it a longer listed trading history, while BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) listed on January 26, 2024 and still has a shorter public-market record.

Company profile comparison for Alcon (ALC) and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG)
Profile Item	ALC	BTSG
Name	Alcon Inc.	BrightSpring Health Services, Inc.
Country/Region	Switzerland	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 Providers & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Supplies	Health Care Services
Market Capitalization	36.23 billion USD	13.36 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	April 9, 2019	January 26, 2024
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALC

BTSG

GSPC

Alcon (ALC) vs. BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG), 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 Alcon (ALC) and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Alcon (ALC) and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alcon (ALC) and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG)
Metric	ALC	BTSG
Total Return (1Y)	1.20%	106.02%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	1.17%	--
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-2.77%	--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALC

BTSG

GSPC

Alcon (ALC) vs. BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG), 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 Alcon (ALC) and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Alcon (ALC) and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG)
Metric	ALC	BTSG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	29.23%	45.20%
Beta (5Y)	0.84	1.75
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-37.93%	-35.56%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.74M	2.47M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ALC and BTSG 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 BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG)
Metric	ALC	BTSG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.11	2.25
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.15	3.25

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) at 15.54% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Alcon (ALC) at 2.94% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for BTSG.

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%

BTSG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.54%

Max: 47.61%
BTSG: 15.54%
Q3: 14.36%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 5.92% and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) at 2.69% 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%

BTSG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.69%

Max: 29.35%
Q3: 9.33%
BTSG: 2.69%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Alcon (ALC) vs. BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG): 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 BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) at 3.81%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

BTSG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.81%

Max: 35.43%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
BTSG: 3.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alcon (ALC) and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG)
Metric	ALC	BTSG
ROE (TTM)	2.94%	15.54%
ROA (TTM)	2.80%	5.44%
Net Margin (TTM)	5.92%	2.69%
Operating Margin (TTM)	14.63%	3.81%
Gross Margin (TTM)	57.22%	12.50%

Growth

Revenue Growth

BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) at 28.18% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Alcon (ALC) at 4.94% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for BTSG.

Alcon (ALC) vs. BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Alcon (ALC) reports EPS growth of -3.41%, ranked against its industry; BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Alcon (ALC) vs. BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alcon (ALC) and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG)
Metric	ALC	BTSG
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.94%	28.18%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.06%	18.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-3.41%	--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	42.80%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 2.09 and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) at 1.62 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

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

BTSG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.62

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
BTSG: 1.62
Q1: 1.37
Min: 0.30

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Alcon (ALC) at 0.25 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) at 1.09 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

BTSG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.09

Max: 1.88
BTSG: 1.09
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

Alcon (ALC) vs. BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG): 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 BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG)
Metric	ALC	BTSG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.09	1.62
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.25	1.09
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.60	2.39

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) 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%

BTSG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Alcon (ALC) reports a payout of 26.56%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

BTSG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alcon (ALC) and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG)
Metric	ALC	BTSG
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.46%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	26.56%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) at 47.62 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

BTSG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

47.62

Max: 80.41
BTSG: 47.62
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) at 0.88 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Alcon (ALC) at 3.34 prices around its industry’s middle — BTSG costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

BTSG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.88

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
BTSG: 0.88
Min: 0.03

Alcon (ALC) vs. BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG): 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 looks cheap against book in the lower P/B ratio quartile, while BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) at 6.39 carries a premium in the upper quartile — a clear price-to-book gap.

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

BTSG

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

6.39

Max: 11.68
BTSG: 6.39
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alcon (ALC) and BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG)
Metric	ALC	BTSG
P/E Ratio (TTM)	56.77	47.62
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.34	0.88
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.68	6.39
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.51%	8.30%