Alcon AG vs Smith & Nephew plc — how do they compare? Alcon AG trades at $73.67 (market cap $36.44B), while Smith & Nephew plc trades at $29.85 (market cap $12.54B). The key difference: Alcon AG is far larger — about 2.9× Smith & Nephew plc's market cap, and Smith & Nephew plc pays the higher dividend (2.65%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ALC | SNN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $36.44B | $12.54B |
Sector | Health | Health |
52-Week High | $90.12 | $38.70 |
52-Week Low | $62.02 | $28.73 |
Enterprise Value | $40.28B | $15.57B |
Dividend Yield | 0.48% | 2.65% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ALC trades at $73.525, down 0.14% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and positive analyst sentiment. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat estimates, with revenue of $10.4 billion in 2025 and a net income margin of 5.92%. The company raised its 2026 profitability outlook, citing tariff relief and strong product launches.
The stock offers a 17.9% upside to the consensus price target of $86.67, supported by bullish analyst ratings and improving cash flow trends. Key risks include elevated P/E valuation at 57.52 and potential macroeconomic pressures on medical device demand. Earnings growth and execution on new products remain critical for sustained momentum.
Smith & Nephew (SNN) trades at $29.76, down 1.06% with bearish technical signals. The company shows improving fundamentals with revenue growth from $5.8B to $6.2B and net income margin expanding to 10.08% in 2025. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations but the company lowered full-year revenue guidance from 6% to 4% growth due to U.S. Orthopaedics weakness.
While valuation multiples appear reasonable (P/E 20.41, EV/EBITDA 9.9), the stock faces headwinds from mixed earnings performance and cautious analyst sentiment. The primary investment case hinges on execution in robotics and wound care segments offsetting orthopedic challenges, with downside risk from continued U.S. market softness.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Alcon, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is the global eyecare leader with a diverse portfolio in ophthalmology including contact lenses, eye drops, surgical equipment, and related surgical products. Novartis purchased Alcon from Nestle in 2010 and, following nine years as a Novartis subsidiary, the company was spun off as a public company in April 2019. The company reports five distinct segments: implantables (16% of revenue), consumables (31%), equipment (9%), contact lenses (27%), and ocular health (17%). The company is geographically diversified, with only about 40% of revenue from the U.S. market, and the firm has a strong presence in the European Union and Japan.
Read more on ALC →Smith & Nephew designs, manufactures, and markets orthopedic devices, sports medicine and arthroscopic technologies, and wound-care solutions. Roughly 42% of the U.K.-based firm's revenue comes from orthopedic products, and another 30% is sports medicine and ENT. The remaining 28% of revenue is from the advanced wound therapy segment. Roughly half of Smith & Nephew's total revenue comes from the United States, just over 30% is from other developed markets, and emerging markets account for the remainder.
Read more on SNN →