Shares outstanding are shares that have been authorized, issued, and purchased by investors and are held by them. Alcon's shares outstanding for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 488 Mil.
Alcon's quarterly shares outstanding
increased
from Dec. 2025 (487 Mil) to Mar. 2026 (488 Mil).
It means Alconissued new shares from Dec. 2025 to Mar. 2026 .
Alcon's annual shares outstanding
declined
from Dec. 2024 (495 Mil) to Dec. 2025 (487 Mil).
It means Alconbought back shares from Dec. 2024 to Dec. 2025 .
A company may buy back shares or issue shares in any fiscal period. If a company buys back shares, we should observe that the total number of shares decline. If the company issues new shares, the number of shares outstanding increases.
Usually the presence of treasury shares and a history of buyback are good indicators that company has competitive advantage. But studies have shown that companies usually buy back at wrong time. Buying back shares below its intrinsic value increases value for remaining shareholders. Buying back overvalued shares destroys value for existing shareholders.
Be Aware
Warren Buffett looks for consistency and upward long term trend. Because of share repurchase it is possible for net earnings trend to differ from EPS trend. He preferred net income over EPS. The companies with durable competitive advantage companies report higher % net earnings to total revenues.
Important: If a company is showing net earnings history greater than 20% on total revenues, it is probably benefiting from a long term competitive advantage.
If net earnings is less than 10%, likely to be in a highly competitive business.
Alcon Shares Outstanding (EOP) Related Terms
Alcon Shares Outstanding (EOP) Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Alcon's Shares Outstanding (EOP) can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
ALC vs ISRG, BDX, MDLN: Shares Outstanding (EOP) Comparison
For the Medical Instruments & Supplies subindustry, Alcon's Shares Outstanding (EOP), along with its competitors' market caps and Shares Outstanding (EOP) data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Alcon Shares Outstanding (EOP) vs Medical Devices & Instruments Industry
For the Medical Devices & Instruments industry and Healthcare sector, Alcon's Shares Outstanding (EOP) distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Alcon's Shares Outstanding (EOP) falls into.
Shares outstanding are shares that have been authorized, issued, and purchased by investors and are held by them. They have voting rights and represent ownership in the corporation by the person that holds the shares. They should be distinguished from treasury shares, which are shares held by the corporation itself, having no exercisable rights.
Shares outstanding can be calculated as either basic or fully diluted. The fully diluted shares outstanding count includes diluting securities, such as options, warrants or convertibles.
What does a Shares Outstanding (EOP) of 488 Mil mean?
Alcon (ALC) has a Shares Outstanding (EOP) of 488 Mil as of Mar. 2026. The total shares a company has outstanding, at period-end. View historical data on Alcon and its competitors.
Is Alcon's Shares Outstanding (EOP) too high?
Alcon's current Shares Outstanding (EOP) is 488 Mil. Overall, Alcon has a GF Score™ of 71/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Alcon's Shares Outstanding (EOP) compare to ISRG and BDX?
Alcon's Shares Outstanding (EOP) of 488 Mil can be compared against companies in the Medical Devices & Instruments industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Shares Outstanding (EOP) for a Medical Devices & Instruments company?
A good Shares Outstanding (EOP) depends on the Medical Devices & Instruments industry context. However, Shares Outstanding (EOP) should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Shares Outstanding (EOP) mean?
A high Shares Outstanding (EOP) can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The total shares a company has outstanding, at period-end. View historical data on Alcon and its competitors. Alcon's current Shares Outstanding (EOP) is 488 Mil. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Alcon stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Alcon (ALC) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $89.75, compared to a current price of $68.58 — trading 23.6% below its estimated fair value. The current Shares Outstanding (EOP) is 488 Mil. Alcon's overall GF Score™ is 71/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Shares Outstanding (EOP) calculated?
Shares Outstanding (EOP) is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Alcon (ALC), the current Shares Outstanding (EOP) is 488 Mil as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Alcon (ALC) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Alcon stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $68.58 is trading 23.6% below its estimated GF Value™ of $89.75.
GuruFocus considers Alcon to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for ALC:
Shares Outstanding (EOP): 488 Mil
GF Value™: $89.75 vs. price of $68.58 (23.6% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the ALC stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Alcon is one of the leading visioncare companies in the world. Following nine years as a Novartis subsidiary, it was spun off as a public company in April 2019. Alcon operates in two segments: visioncare and surgical. Visioncare comprises contact lenses, lenscare solutions, and a suite of ocular health products. With brands like Dailies, Total1, and Air Optix, Alcon controls about one fourth of the US contact lens market. Surgical comprises intraocular lenses, ophthalmic surgical equipment, and consumables used during surgeries. Its main products include Centurion, a phacoemulsification device used during cataract surgeries, and a portfolio of IOLs including PanOptix and Vivity. Alcon has one of the largest installed bases of eye surgical equipment in the world.
71GF Score
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Shares Outstanding (EOP) is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
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