ALC vs. EHC: Alcon vs. Encompass Health Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Alcon (ALC) and Encompass Health (EHC)
Profile Item	ALC	EHC
Name	Alcon Inc.	Encompass Health Corporation
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 Facilities
Market Capitalization	36.23 billion USD	13.50 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	April 9, 2019	September 24, 1986
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALC

EHC

GSPC

Alcon (ALC) vs. Encompass Health (EHC), 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 Encompass Health (EHC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Encompass Health (EHC)
Metric	ALC	EHC
Total Return (1Y)	1.20%	22.16%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	1.17%	30.96%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-2.77%	23.55%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALC

EHC

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Encompass Health (EHC)
Metric	ALC	EHC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	29.23%	30.54%
Beta (5Y)	0.84	0.82
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-37.93%	-27.33%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.74M	996.79K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ALC and EHC 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 Encompass Health (EHC)
Metric	ALC	EHC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.11	0.59
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.15	1.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Encompass Health (EHC) at 25.11% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Alcon (ALC) at 2.94% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for EHC.

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%

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

25.11%

Max: 47.61%
EHC: 25.11%
Q3: 14.36%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Encompass Health (EHC) at 10.17% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Alcon (ALC) at 5.92%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.17%

Max: 29.35%
EHC: 10.17%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Alcon (ALC) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): 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 Encompass Health (EHC) at 18.07% 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%

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

18.07%

Max: 35.43%
EHC: 18.07%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Encompass Health (EHC)
Metric	ALC	EHC
ROE (TTM)	2.94%	25.11%
ROA (TTM)	2.80%	10.08%
Net Margin (TTM)	5.92%	10.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)	14.63%	18.07%
Gross Margin (TTM)	57.22%	44.15%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Alcon (ALC) at 4.94% and Encompass Health (EHC) at 10.46% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Alcon (ALC) at -3.41% and Encompass Health (EHC) at 24.22% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Encompass Health (EHC)
Metric	ALC	EHC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.94%	10.46%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.06%	10.92%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-3.41%	24.22%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	42.80%	27.07%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alcon (ALC) at 2.09 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Encompass Health (EHC) at 1.09 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for EHC.

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

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.09

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
EHC: 1.09
Min: 0.30

Alcon (ALC) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): 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 Encompass Health (EHC) at 0.79 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

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.79

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
EHC: 0.79
Median: 0.58
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

Alcon (ALC) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): 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 Encompass Health (EHC)
Metric	ALC	EHC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.09	1.09
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.25	0.79
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.60	1.79

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 0.46% and Encompass Health (EHC) at 0.55% 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%

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.55%

EHC: 0.55%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alcon (ALC) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): 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 Encompass Health (EHC) at 12.48% 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%

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

12.48%

EHC: 12.48%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Encompass Health (EHC)
Metric	ALC	EHC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.46%	0.55%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	26.56%	12.48%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Encompass Health (EHC) at 22.01 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

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

22.01

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
Median: 29.93
EHC: 22.01
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

Alcon (ALC) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): 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 Encompass Health (EHC) at 2.13 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

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.13

Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
EHC: 2.13
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

Alcon (ALC) vs. Encompass Health (EHC): 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 Encompass Health (EHC) at 5.04 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

EHC

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.04

Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
EHC: 5.04
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Encompass Health (EHC)
Metric	ALC	EHC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	56.77	22.01
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.34	2.13
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.68	5.04
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.51%	1.97%