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ALC vs. HCA: Alcon vs. HCA Healthcare Stock Comparison

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

Company profile comparison for Alcon (ALC) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
Profile ItemALCHCA
NameAlcon Inc.HCA Healthcare, 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 Facilities
Market Capitalization36.23 billion USD103.40 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateApril 9, 2019March 10, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALC
HCA
GSPC
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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA), 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alcon (ALC) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALCHCA
Total Return (1Y)1.20%6.56%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)1.17%31.39%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-2.77%16.40%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Alcon (ALC) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALCHCA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)29.23%32.89%
Beta (5Y)0.841.07
Max Drawdown (5Y)-37.93%-39.49%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.74M1.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ALC and HCA 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALCHCA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.110.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.150.11

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
HCA
--
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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): HCA 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 8.61% 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%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

8.61%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
HCA
8.61%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 14.83% 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%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

14.83%

Max
35.43%
HCA
14.83%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alcon (ALC) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALCHCA
ROE (TTM)2.94%--
ROA (TTM)2.80%12.23%
Net Margin (TTM)5.92%8.61%
Operating Margin (TTM)14.63%14.83%
Gross Margin (TTM)57.22%42.76%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Alcon (ALC) at 4.94% and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 7.08% 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. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 28.77% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Alcon (ALC) at -3.41% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for HCA.

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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alcon (ALC) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALCHCA
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.94%7.08%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)6.06%7.87%
EPS Growth (YoY)-3.41%28.77%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)42.80%13.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alcon (ALC) at 2.09 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 0.82 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for HCA.

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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.82

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
HCA
0.82
Min
0.30
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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA) 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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

--

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
HCA
--
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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): HCA 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALCHCA
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.090.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.25--
Net Debt / EBITDA1.603.26

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Alcon (ALC) at 0.46% and HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 0.60% 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%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.60%

HCA
0.60%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 10.15% 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%

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.15%

HCA
10.15%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alcon (ALC) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALCHCA
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.46%0.60%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)26.56%10.15%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 16.42 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Alcon (ALC) at 56.77 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

16.42

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
HCA
16.42
Min
4.21
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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): 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 HCA Healthcare (HCA) at 1.31 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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.31

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
HCA
1.31
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

HCA Healthcare (HCA) reports a negative P/B ratio of -12.92, 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

HCA

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

-12.92

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
HCA
-12.92
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Alcon (ALC) vs. HCA Healthcare (HCA): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alcon (ALC) and HCA Healthcare (HCA)
MetricALCHCA
P/E Ratio (TTM)56.7716.42
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.341.31
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.68-12.92
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.51%3.81%