Alcon Inc.

NYSE:ALC Stock Report

Market Cap: US$33.5b

Alcon Past Earnings Performance

Past criteria checks 2/6

Alcon has been growing earnings at an average annual rate of 32.4%, while the Medical Equipment industry saw earnings growing at 15.3% annually. Revenues have been growing at an average rate of 6.4% per year. Alcon's return on equity is 3.7%, and it has net margins of 7.7%.

Key information

32.36%

Earnings growth rate

32.26%

EPS growth rate

Medical Equipment Industry Growth8.90%
Revenue growth rate6.38%
Return on equity3.70%
Net Margin7.70%
Next Earnings Update11 Aug 2026

Recent past performance updates

Recent updates

Seeking Alpha • May 31

Alcon: Product Cycle Reset Creates An Attractive Entry Point (Initiating Buy)

Summary Alcon receives a buy rating, driven by the launch of Tryptyr in the mature dry eye disease market. Tryptyr's unique mechanism and rapid tear production differentiate it, but commercial adoption hinges on refill rates, payer coverage, and patient persistence. ALC's robust commercial footprint and strong balance sheet support ongoing R&D, M&A, dividends, and buybacks, mitigating financing risks. Key risks include payer restrictions, patient tolerability, competition, and potential growth deceleration post-2026. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Feb 04

Alcon: An Eyecare Leader With Strong Profit Margins, But Overheated Valuation

Summary Alcon is downgraded to a hold from my buy rating in fall 2023, after it has gone up +18% since then and now appears overvalued with a 48x earnings multiple. The firm has a strong profit margin vs its sector, low debt/equity vs a key peer Bausch & Lomb, and investment-grade credit ratings. Its positive cashflow growth should help sustain its dividend. Some risks in this sector are product recalls and supply-chain disruptions, as past events have shown us. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Sep 04

Alcon Q2: Positive News From Unity VCS/CS And AR-15512

Summary I reiterate a 'Strong Buy' rating for Alcon with a one-year price target of $115 per share, driven by new product pipelines and FDA clearances. Alcon's Unity VCS/CS systems received FDA clearance, set for U.S. commercialization in 2025, enhancing their competitive edge in cataract and vitreoretinal surgery markets. Alcon's partnership with Ocumension in China will leverage local distribution and manufacturing to expand their dry eye treatment business, including Systane Ultra and AR-15512. Despite some U.S. market challenges, I project Alcon to achieve 7% organic revenue growth, supported by product innovation and strategic acquisitions. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Aug 01

Alcon: Trading At An Undeserved Premium Valuation

Summary Global eye care giant Alcon, Inc. has seen its stock rise some 30% since its late October lows. The company is delivering solid, but hardly spectacular revenue growth, and is seeing much better free cash flow. The stock now trades at a significant valuation premium to the overall market. Is that premium valuation deserved? An analysis of Alcon follows in the paragraphs below. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • May 14

Alcon Q1: Robust Product Pipeline Drives Future Growth (Rating Upgrade)

Summary Alcon has experienced robust Q1 growth, driven by double-digit growth in vision care, particularly in the contact lens market. The company's strong revenue growth is attributed to successful product launches, such as TOTAL30 and DAILIES TOTAL1, which have helped Alcon gain market share. Alcon's FY24 forecast shows potential for increased free cash flow, strong revenue growth in vision care, and growth opportunities in the surgical business. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Oct 10

Alcon: Buy An Eyecare Leader With $2 Billion In Quarterly Sales

Summary Alcon gets a Buy Rating today, in line with Wall Street consensus. Strengths include earnings growth, share price crossover below 200-day average, outperformance vs. the S&P500 index, and the company's strong cash position. Offsetting factors include a high valuation and poor dividend yield. The downside risk of debt levels was also addressed. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Jul 26

Alcon: Lackluster Growth Given Its Valuation

Summary Alcon stock is currently trading at over 30x earnings, which is considered high for a company not expected to deliver EPS above 20 - 25% in the next few years. Despite the high trading multiple, Alcon has a strong business model and is a leader in the eye care industry, with recent positive developments in its product line and services. Alcon's share price is currently inflated due to hopes of significant free cash flow being diverted to shareholders, but I suggest this optimism may be misplaced and recommend a hold rating for the company. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Jun 27

Alcon: The Steady Force Of 'Boring'

Summary Alcon is expected to outpace market growth and gain market share in the surgical and vision care sectors, with growth driven by factors such as the increasing global aging population and rise in myopia. Along with Costco, Aon, and Marsh & McLennan, Alcon is another "boring" investment in my portfolio. Alcon's focus on R&D, product innovation, and accelerated free cash flow generation contribute to a positive outlook, earning a "Buy" rating. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Feb 13

Alcon reached $199M settlement with J&J Surgical Vision

Eye care company Alcon (NYSE:ALC) has reached a settlement with J&J Surgical Vision on its pending legal proceedings related to femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery devices. The parties have exchanged cross-licenses of certain intellectual property and other mutually agreed covenants and releases, as part of the settlement. In addition, Alcon (ALC) has agreed to make a one-time payment of $199M to J&J Surgical Vision for those rights and to resolve various worldwide IP disputes relating to this matter.

Revenue & Expenses Breakdown

How Alcon makes and spends money. Based on latest reported earnings, on an LTM basis.

Earnings and Revenue History

NYSE:ALC Revenue, expenses and earnings (USD Millions)
DateRevenueEarningsG+A ExpensesR&D Expenses
31 Mar 2610,6348193,5181,011
31 Dec 2510,4019803,449988
30 Sep 2510,1851,0473,350947
30 Jun 2510,0251,0733,294924
31 Mar 259,9251,1203,261890
31 Dec 249,9111,0183,250867
30 Sep 249,7611,1613,242843
30 Jun 249,6361,1023,231819
31 Mar 249,5621,0483,226825
31 Dec 239,4559743,209828
30 Sep 239,2744503,177837
30 Jun 239,0853623,141795
31 Mar 238,8803413,112759
31 Dec 228,7173353,068700
30 Sep 228,6955713,131684
30 Jun 228,6574573,145706
31 Mar 228,5504603,125703
31 Dec 218,2913763,076703
30 Sep 218,0823322,980706
30 Jun 217,8181832,884680
31 Mar 216,922-3902,690665
31 Dec 206,833-5312,694675
30 Sep 206,806-7172,647678
30 Jun 206,836-6362,662702
31 Mar 207,525-6042,827707
31 Dec 197,508-6562,802690
30 Sep 197,386-6382,830735
30 Jun 197,280-7792,827688
31 Mar 197,177-3622,761665
31 Dec 187,153-2272,799653
30 Sep 187,1231752,725527
31 Dec 176,7922562,596545
31 Dec 166,596-1702,526481
31 Dec 156,7763082,337457

Quality Earnings: ALC has high quality earnings.

Growing Profit Margin: ALC's current net profit margins (7.7%) are lower than last year (11.3%).

Free Cash Flow vs Earnings Analysis

Past Earnings Growth Analysis

Earnings Trend: ALC has become profitable over the past 5 years, growing earnings by 32.4% per year.

Accelerating Growth: ALC's has had negative earnings growth over the past year, so it can't be compared to its 5-year average.

Earnings vs Industry: ALC had negative earnings growth (-26.9%) over the past year, making it difficult to compare to the Medical Equipment industry average (14.8%).

Return on Equity

High ROE: ALC's Return on Equity (3.7%) is considered low.

Return on Assets

Return on Capital Employed

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Company Analysis and Financial Data Status

DataLast Updated (UTC time)
Company Analysis2026/07/13 05:36
End of Day Share Price 2026/07/13 00:00
Earnings2026/03/31
Annual Earnings2025/12/31

Data Sources

The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.

PackageDataTimeframeExample US Source *
Company Financials10 years
  • Income statement
  • Cash flow statement
  • Balance sheet
Analyst Consensus Estimates+3 years
  • Forecast financials
  • Analyst price targets
Market Prices30 years
  • Stock prices
  • Dividends, Splits and Actions
Ownership10 years
  • Top shareholders
  • Insider trading
Management10 years
  • Leadership team
  • Board of directors
Key Developments10 years
  • Company announcements

* Example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.

Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more.

Analysis Model and Snowflake

Details of the analysis model used to generate this report is available on our Github page, we also have guides on how to use our reports and tutorials on Youtube.

Learn about the world class team who designed and built the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Industry and Sector Metrics

Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on Github.

Analyst Sources

Alcon Inc. is covered by 58 analysts. 23 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.

AnalystInstitution
null nullArgus Research Company
null nullBaird
Jeffrey JohnsonBaird