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ALC vs. GH: Alcon vs. Guardant Health Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Alcon (ALC) and Guardant Health (GH)
Profile ItemALCGH
NameAlcon Inc.Guardant 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 Services
Market Capitalization36.23 billion USD20.41 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateApril 9, 2019October 4, 2018
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALC
GH
GSPC
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Guardant Health (GH), 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 Guardant Health (GH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricALCGH
Total Return (1Y)1.20%66.53%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)1.17%92.76%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-2.77%8.36%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricALCGH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.23%53.23%
Beta (5Y)0.841.69
Max Drawdown (5Y)-37.93%-85.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.74M1.97M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ALC and GH 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 Guardant Health (GH)
MetricALCGH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.111.17
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.151.84

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Alcon (ALC) earns 2.94% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Guardant Health (GH) 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%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative net margin of -37.93%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Alcon (ALC) reports 5.92%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-37.93%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
GH
-37.93%
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative operating margin of -37.06%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Alcon (ALC) reports 14.63%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-37.06%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
GH
-37.06%
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricALCGH
ROE (TTM)2.94%--
ROA (TTM)2.80%-19.92%
Net Margin (TTM)5.92%-37.93%
Operating Margin (TTM)14.63%-37.06%
Gross Margin (TTM)57.22%65.19%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Guardant Health (GH) at 32.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Alcon (ALC) at 4.94% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for GH.

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Alcon (ALC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): 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; Guardant Health (GH) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricALCGH
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.94%32.88%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)6.06%29.75%
EPS Growth (YoY)-3.41%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)42.80%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 2.09 and Guardant Health (GH) at 3.60 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

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.60

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
GH
3.60
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): 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 Guardant Health (GH) 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

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
GH
--
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): GH 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 Guardant Health (GH)
MetricALCGH
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.093.60
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.25--
Net Debt / EBITDA1.60--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) 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%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

GH
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Guardant Health (GH) 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%

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricALCGH
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.46%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)26.56%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Alcon (ALC) trades at 56.77 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Guardant Health (GH) has no P/E ratio this period.

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

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
GH
--
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): GH does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; ALC is benchmarked against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Alcon (ALC) at 3.34 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Guardant Health (GH) at 15.96 clears its benchmark range — GH looks notably rich on sales.

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

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.96

GH
15.96
Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Guardant Health (GH) reports a negative P/B ratio of -73.67, 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

GH

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-73.67

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
GH
-73.67
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Alcon (ALC) vs. Guardant Health (GH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alcon (ALC) and Guardant Health (GH)
MetricALCGH
P/E Ratio (TTM)56.77--
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.3415.96
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.68-73.67
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.51%-0.30%