ALC vs. IDXX: Alcon vs. IDEXX Laboratories Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Alcon (ALC) and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) both belong to the Health Care Equipment & Supplies industry, though ALC is classified under Health Care Supplies while IDXX falls under Health Care Equipment.

Company profile comparison for Alcon (ALC) and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX)
Profile Item	ALC	IDXX
Name	Alcon Inc.	IDEXX Laboratories, 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 Equipment & Supplies
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Supplies	Health Care Equipment
Market Capitalization	36.23 billion USD	53.26 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	April 9, 2019	June 21, 1991
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALC

IDXX

GSPC

Alcon (ALC) vs. IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX), 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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alcon (ALC) and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX)
Metric	ALC	IDXX
Total Return (1Y)	1.20%	-1.84%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	1.17%	18.42%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-2.77%	2.02%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALC

IDXX

GSPC

Alcon (ALC) vs. IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX), 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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Alcon (ALC) and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX)
Metric	ALC	IDXX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	29.23%	37.02%
Beta (5Y)	0.84	1.44
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-37.93%	-50.91%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.74M	564.80K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ALC and IDXX 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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX)
Metric	ALC	IDXX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.11	-0.17
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.15	-0.28

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 68.93% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Alcon (ALC) at 2.94%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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%

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

68.93%

IDXX: 68.93%
Max: 47.61%
Q3: 14.36%
Median: 5.45%
Q1: -10.67%
Min: -47.01%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 25.36% 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%

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

25.36%

Max: 29.35%
IDXX: 25.36%
Q3: 9.33%
Median: 2.18%
Q1: -6.29%
Min: -28.46%

Alcon (ALC) vs. IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX): 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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 33.14% 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%

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

33.14%

Max: 35.43%
IDXX: 33.14%
Q3: 14.14%
Median: 6.81%
Q1: -0.28%
Min: -16.29%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alcon (ALC) and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX)
Metric	ALC	IDXX
ROE (TTM)	2.94%	68.93%
ROA (TTM)	2.80%	26.70%
Net Margin (TTM)	5.92%	25.36%
Operating Margin (TTM)	14.63%	33.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)	57.22%	62.72%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Alcon (ALC) at 4.94% and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 10.42% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Alcon (ALC) vs. IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Alcon (ALC) at -3.41% and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 22.59% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Alcon (ALC) vs. IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alcon (ALC) and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX)
Metric	ALC	IDXX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.94%	10.42%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.06%	8.52%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-3.41%	22.59%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	42.80%	17.66%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alcon (ALC) at 2.09 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 1.19 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for IDXX.

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

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.19

Max: 7.59
Q3: 4.00
Median: 1.98
Q1: 1.37
IDXX: 1.19
Min: 0.30

Alcon (ALC) vs. IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX): 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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 0.52 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

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.52

Max: 1.88
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.58
IDXX: 0.52
Q1: 0.16
Min: 0.00

Alcon (ALC) vs. IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX): 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 IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX)
Metric	ALC	IDXX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.09	1.19
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.25	0.52
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.60	0.46

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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%

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) 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%

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alcon (ALC) and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX)
Metric	ALC	IDXX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.46%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	26.56%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 45.56 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

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

45.56

Max: 80.41
Q3: 47.62
IDXX: 45.56
Median: 29.93
Q1: 21.19
Min: 4.21

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Alcon (ALC) at 3.34 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 11.42 clears its benchmark range — IDXX 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

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.42

IDXX: 11.42
Max: 8.80
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.13
Q1: 1.10
Min: 0.03

Alcon (ALC) vs. IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX): 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 relative to book while IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX) at 28.50 prices above its industry range — a wide valuation gap against assets.

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

IDXX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

28.50

IDXX: 28.50
Max: 11.68
Q3: 6.12
Median: 3.00
Q1: 1.73
Min: -1.31

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alcon (ALC) and IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX)
Metric	ALC	IDXX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	56.77	45.56
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.34	11.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.68	28.50
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.51%	2.00%