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ALGN vs. STE: Align vs. STERIS Stock Comparison

How do Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE) 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

Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE) both belong to the Health Care Equipment & Supplies industry, though ALGN is classified under Health Care Supplies while STE falls under Health Care Equipment.

Company profile comparison for Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE)
Profile ItemALGNSTE
NameAlign Technology Inc.STERIS plc
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Equipment & SuppliesHealth Care Equipment & Supplies
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care SuppliesHealth Care Equipment
Market Capitalization11.70 billion USD24.50 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJanuary 30, 2001June 1, 1992
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALGN
STE
GSPC
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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE), 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 Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE)
MetricALGNSTE
Total Return (1Y)27.43%-1.85%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-2.84%9.57%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-24.73%3.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALGN
STE
GSPC
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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE), 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 Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE)
MetricALGNSTE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)40.49%26.39%
Beta (5Y)1.670.81
Max Drawdown (5Y)-82.44%-36.18%
Avg. Volume (3M)942.14K694.02K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ALGN and STE 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 Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE)
MetricALGNSTE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.57-0.23
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.89-0.34

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Align (ALGN) at 11.91% and STERIS (STE) at 11.61% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.91%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
ALGN
11.91%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.61%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
STE
11.61%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Align (ALGN) at 11.83% and STERIS (STE) at 13.41% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.83%

Max
29.35%
ALGN
11.83%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

13.41%

Max
29.35%
STE
13.41%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Align (ALGN) at 20.13% and STERIS (STE) at 19.18% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

20.13%

Max
35.43%
ALGN
20.13%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

19.18%

Max
35.43%
STE
19.18%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE)
MetricALGNSTE
ROE (TTM)11.91%11.61%
ROA (TTM)8.01%7.00%
Net Margin (TTM)11.83%13.41%
Operating Margin (TTM)20.13%19.18%
Gross Margin (TTM)71.53%44.30%

Growth

Revenue Growth

STERIS (STE) at 8.73% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Align (ALGN) at 0.90% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

STERIS (STE) at 27.90% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Align (ALGN) at 0.53% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for STE.

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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE)
MetricALGNSTE
Revenue Growth (YoY)0.90%8.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)2.61%9.38%
EPS Growth (YoY)0.53%27.90%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)7.02%94.97%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Align (ALGN) at 1.43 and STERIS (STE) at 2.05 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.43

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
ALGN
1.43
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.05

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
STE
2.05
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Align (ALGN) at 0.03 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while STERIS (STE) at 0.28 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.03

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
ALGN
0.03
Min
0.00

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.28

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
STE
0.28
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE)
MetricALGNSTE
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.432.05
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.030.28
Net Debt / EBITDA-1.040.91

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Align (ALGN) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile STERIS (STE) reports a yield of 1.02%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

ALGN
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.02%

STE
1.02%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Align (ALGN) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile STERIS (STE) reports a payout of 30.61%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

ALGN
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.61%

STE
30.61%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE)
MetricALGNSTE
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%1.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%30.61%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Align (ALGN) at 24.20 and STERIS (STE) at 29.93 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

24.20

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
ALGN
24.20
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

29.93

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
STE
29.93
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): 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 Align (ALGN) at 2.81 and STERIS (STE) at 3.97 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.81

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
ALGN
2.81
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.97

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
STE
3.97
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Align (ALGN) at 2.73 and STERIS (STE) at 3.38 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

ALGN

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.73

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
ALGN
2.73
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.38

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
STE
3.38
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
Loading chart…
Align (ALGN) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Align (ALGN) and STERIS (STE)
MetricALGNSTE
P/E Ratio (TTM)24.2029.93
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.813.97
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.733.38
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)4.90%3.36%