ALC vs WST
Alcon Inc. and West Pharmaceutical Services, both Healthcare
Alcon Inc. is the larger company at $32B against $23B. On trailing earnings WST is the cheaper of the two at a P/E of 46.8 against 54.7, a gap that is only a bargain if the two are growing at similar rates. Over the past year WST returned +48% against -15% for ALC. Ryufin's sector-relative Smart Score puts WST ahead, 8/10 against 6/10.
| Figure | ALC | WST |
|---|---|---|
| Last close | $72.70 | $350 |
| Market cap | $32B | $23B |
| Trailing P/Elower is cheaper for the same earnings, not automatically better | 54.7 | 46.8 |
| Dividend yield | n/a | 0.2% |
| 1-year return | -15% | +48% |
| 5-year return | +0.3% | -14% |
| Ryufin Smart Scoresector-relative, 1–10 | 6/10 | 8/10 |
Figures from SEC filings and end-of-day closes. Highlighting marks the higher or lower number, which is not the same as the better investment, a low P/E can be a warning and a high one can be deserved.
Alcon Inc.
Revenue of $5.3B in H2 2025, net income $454M.
West Pharmaceutical Services
Revenue of $845M in Q1 2026, net income $139M. Its largest reported line is Proprietary Products, 82% of the disclosed total.
Open these two in the interactive comparison to add more names, change the period or read the correlation.