# Alcon Inc. (ALC) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NYSE, United States. Sector: Healthcare / Health Care Equipment & Supplies. Price $70.50, market value $34.1 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 53.8×** (5-yr avg 66.4×, 3-yr avg 40.0×). Alcon Inc. trades at 53.8× trailing earnings, close to its own five-year average of 66.4×. The Healthcare median in the September 2026 study was 28.5×. Forward P/E is 17.7×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 3.1×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 3.1×.
- **Price / book: 1.6×**. The shares trade at 1.6× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **EV / EBITDA: 13.5×**. Enterprise value is 13.5× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 4.7%** (5-yr avg 2.7%). Free cash flow equals 4.7% of the market value, above its five-year average of 2.7%, so the shares are cheaper on cash than they have usually been.
- **Earnings yield: 1.9%**. The inverse of the P/E: 1.9% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Gross margin: 56.8%**. Alcon Inc. keeps 56.8% of revenue after the direct cost of what it sells.
- **Operating margin: 8.7%**. 8.7% of revenue is left after running the business.
- **Net margin: 9.4%**. 9.4% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 4.4%**. 4.4% on shareholders' equity is weak; the business earns little on the capital its owners have in it.
- **Return on invested capital: 3.3%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 3.3%: close to or below the cost of capital, so growth may not create value.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 4.9%** (3-yr 6.1%/yr, 5-yr 8.8%/yr). Revenue grew 4.9% over the last year, against 8.8% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -3.4%** (3-yr 42.8%/yr). Earnings per share fell 3.4%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 43.8%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 43.8% a year over three years, keeping pace with earnings: the growth is real cash.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.19**. Debt is 0.19 times equity: a conservative balance sheet.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 1.0×**. It would take 1.0 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, within the comfortable range.
- **Interest coverage: 4.5×**. Operating profit covers interest 4.5× over, a safe margin.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 0.51%** ($0.35 per share, trailing). Alcon Inc. yields 0.51%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 17%**. 17% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 2**. 2 straight years of increases.
- **Shareholder yield: 3.2%**. Dividends plus net buybacks return 3.2% of the market value a year.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: buy** (15 analysts). 15 analysts cover Alcon Inc.; the consensus is buy, with an average price target of $85.24 (+21% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): -10.2%** (YTD -10.1%, 3-mo 5.5%). The shares are down 10.2% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -19.6%** (14.0% above the low). Trading 20% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: below**. The price sits below its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of a downtrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 43**. An RSI of 43 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.55** (volatility 28%). Beta of 0.55 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=ALC · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/alc

Not investment advice.