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ALC vs. CAH: Alcon vs. Cardinal Health Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Alcon (ALC) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
Profile ItemALCCAH
NameAlcon Inc.Cardinal Health, Inc.
Country/RegionSwitzerlandUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Equipment & SuppliesHealth Care Providers & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care SuppliesHealth Care Distributors
Market Capitalization36.23 billion USD62.80 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateApril 9, 2019August 4, 1983
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALC
CAH
GSPC
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH), 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 Cardinal Health (CAH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALCCAH
Total Return (1Y)1.20%35.44%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)1.17%40.52%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-2.77%43.73%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALC
CAH
GSPC
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH), 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 Cardinal Health (CAH). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALCCAH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.23%25.91%
Beta (5Y)0.840.49
Max Drawdown (5Y)-37.93%-20.95%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.74M1.77M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ALC and CAH 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 Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALCCAH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.111.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.151.90

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Alcon (ALC) earns 2.94% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Cardinal Health (CAH) has no ROE this period.

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%

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
CAH
--
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): CAH does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; ALC is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 5.92% and Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.71% 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%

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.71%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
CAH
0.71%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): 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 Cardinal Health (CAH) at 1.34%, 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%

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.34%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
CAH
1.34%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALCCAH
ROE (TTM)2.94%--
ROA (TTM)2.80%3.72%
Net Margin (TTM)5.92%0.71%
Operating Margin (TTM)14.63%1.34%
Gross Margin (TTM)57.22%3.90%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Alcon (ALC) at 4.94% and Cardinal Health (CAH) at 14.23% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Alcon (ALC) at -3.41% and Cardinal Health (CAH) at 12.09% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALCCAH
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.94%14.23%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)6.06%7.44%
EPS Growth (YoY)-3.41%12.09%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)42.80%93.37%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alcon (ALC) at 2.09 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.89 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CAH.

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

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.89

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
CAH
0.89
Min
0.30
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Alcon (ALC) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25 against its industry range, while Cardinal Health (CAH) reports no figure this period.

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

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
CAH
--
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): CAH does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; ALC is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALCCAH
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.090.89
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.25--
Net Debt / EBITDA1.600.81

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 0.46% and Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.77% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

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%

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.77%

CAH
0.77%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): 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 Cardinal Health (CAH) 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.

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%

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

26.56%

CAH
26.56%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALCCAH
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.46%0.77%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)26.56%26.56%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Cardinal Health (CAH) at 35.15 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

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

35.15

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
CAH
35.15
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Cardinal Health (CAH) at 0.24 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Alcon (ALC) at 3.34 prices around its industry’s middle — CAH 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

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.24

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
CAH
0.24
Min
0.03
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Cardinal Health (CAH) reports a negative P/B ratio of -20.84, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Alcon (ALC) reports 1.68, ranking against industry peers normally.

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

CAH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-20.84

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
CAH
-20.84
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Cardinal Health (CAH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Cardinal Health (CAH)
MetricALCCAH
P/E Ratio (TTM)56.7735.15
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.340.24
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.68-20.84
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.51%7.99%