Align Technology [ALGN] vs Alcon [ALC] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 20 vital metrics comparison: Align Technology Inc. wins in 14 metrics, Alcon Inc. wins in 5 metrics, with 0 ties. Align Technology Inc. appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric Align Technology Inc. Alcon Inc. Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 34.70 40.84 Align Technology Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 3.46 2.07 Alcon Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 2.83 23.63 Align Technology Inc.
PEG Ratio 0.96 26.11 Align Technology Inc.
EV/EBITDA 15.26 21.16 Align Technology Inc.
Profit Margin (TTM) 10.17% 11.28% Alcon Inc.
Operating Margin (TTM) 22.38% 13.30% Align Technology Inc.
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 22.38% 13.30% Align Technology Inc.
Return on Equity 10.39% 5.23% Align Technology Inc.
Return on Assets (TTM) 6.94% 2.74% Align Technology Inc.
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $490.78M $1.41B Alcon Inc.
1-Year Return -3.31% -22.86% Align Technology Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 3.48 4.62 Align Technology Inc.
Enterprise Value $12.99B $49.36B Alcon Inc.
EV/Revenue Ratio 3.22 4.97 Align Technology Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 65.26% 55.92% Align Technology Inc.
Revenue per Share (TTM) $56 $20 Align Technology Inc.
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $5.65 $2.25 Align Technology Inc.
Beta (Stock Volatility) 1.81 0.70 Alcon Inc.
Short % of Float 6.94% N/A N/A

Align Technology Inc. vs Alcon Inc. Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
Align Technology Inc.-2.99%1.92%-3.02%-11.81%10.44%6.83%
Alcon Inc.-0.09%-5.05%-12.52%-24.09%-18.84%-17.16%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
Align Technology Inc.-3.31%-42.07%-69.96%123.15%641.63%2,145.83%
Alcon Inc.-22.86%-16.57%-5.58%21.79%21.79%21.79%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: Align Technology Inc. vs Alcon Inc.

MetricALGNALC
Market Information
Market Cap i$13.66B$45.84B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capLarge cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i986,3841,498,680
90 Day Avg. Volume i1,182,9351,604,603
Last Close$161.71$64.22
52 Week Range$122.00 - $208.31$61.83 - $92.55
% from 52W High-22.37%-30.61%
All-Time High$737.45 (Sep 20, 2021)$101.10 (Sep 09, 2024)
% from All-Time High-78.07%-36.48%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.05%0.01%
Quarterly Earnings Growth0.31%0.41%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.10%0.11%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.22%0.13%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.10%0.05%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i2.8323.63
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$56.74$44.39
Cash per Share (MRQ)$15.36$2.85
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$593.22M$2.12B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$483.69M$1.18B
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/AN/A
Last 12-Month Dividend iN/A$0.00

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: Align Technology Inc. vs Alcon Inc.

MetricALGN (Apr 24, 2026)ALC (Jul 26, 2025)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i34.7040.84
Forward P/E i15.9226.11
PEG Ratio i0.9626.11
Price to Sales (TTM) i3.484.62
Price to Book (MRQ) i3.462.07
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$13.66B$45.84B
Enterprise Value i$12.99B$49.36B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i3.224.97
Enterprise to EBITDA i15.2621.16
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.810.70
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$56.74$44.39

Financial Statements Comparison: Align Technology Inc. vs Alcon Inc.

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricALGN (2025)ALC (2024)
Revenue/Sales i4.03B9.91B
Cost of Goods Sold i1.32B4.40B
COGS % of Revenue i32.8%44.4%
Gross Profit i2.71B5.51B
Gross Margin i67.2%55.6%
Research & Development i369.91M876.00M
Operating Income (EBIT) i585.31M1.41B
Operating Margin i14.5%14.3%
EBITDA i862.30M2.71B
EBITDA Margin i21.4%27.3%
Pre-Tax Income i585.29M1.26B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i14.5%12.7%
Income Tax i174.94M238.00M
Income Tax % of Revenue i4.3%2.4%
Net Income (Profit) i410.35M1.02B
Profit Margin i10.2%10.3%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricALGN (2025)ALC (2024)
Cash & Equivalents i1.09B1.68B
Total Current Assets i2.62B6.31B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i64.8%63.7%
Total Current Liabilities i1.92B2.28B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i47.6%23.0%
Long-Term Debt i82.51M4.97B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i2.0%50.1%
Total Shareholders Equity i4.05B21.55B
Retained Earnings i2.46BN/A
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i61.1%0.0%
Property, Plant & Equipment i956.80M36.00M

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricALGN (2025)ALC (2024)
Operating Cash Flow i698.64M2.50B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i17.3%25.2%
Capital Expenditures i-102.45M-473.00M
Free Cash Flow i490.78M1.41B
FCF Margin i12.2%14.2%
Debt Repayment iN/A-196.00M
Common Stock Repurchase i-465.94MN/A

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricALGNALC
Shares Short i4.35M6.89M
Short Ratio i3.344.54
Short % of Float i6.94%N/A
Shares Outstanding i71.36M494.62M
Float Shares i66.73M494.60M
% Held by Insiders i6.82%0.13%
% Held by Institutions i97.35%68.80%
% Held by Public i-4.17%31.07%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: Align Technology Inc. vs Alcon Inc.

MetricALGNALC
Last 12-Month Dividend iN/A$0.00
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/AN/A
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend iN/A$0.17
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield iN/A0.30%
3-Year Total Dividends iN/A$0.50
Ex-Dividend DateN/AMay 14, 2024