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AlconALC -0.51%71 Debt-to-Equity is 0.24 as of Mar. 2026, which is at its 10-year median of 0.24. GuruFocus rates ALC with a GF Score™ of 71/100 and a GF Value™ of $93.53 (Modestly Undervalued). The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 704 Medical Devices & Instruments companies, Alcon ranks worse than 50.71% on this metric.
A high debt to equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense.
The historical rank and industry rank for Alcon's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
ALC'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.01 Med: 0.24 Max: 0.26
Current: 0.24
During the past 10 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Alcon was 0.26. The lowest was 0.01. And the median was 0.24.
ALC's Debt-to-Equity is ranked worse than 50.71% of 704
companies
in the Medical Devices & Instruments industry
Industry Median: 0.23
vs ALC: 0.24
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high ROE % companies.
Alcon Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Alcon Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Alcon's Debt-to-Equity 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.
For the Medical Instruments & Supplies subindustry, Alcon's Debt-to-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-Equity 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 Debt-to-Equity vs Medical Devices & Instruments Industry
For the Medical Devices & Instruments industry and Healthcare sector, Alcon's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Alcon's Debt-to-Equity falls into.
* 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.
Alcon (ALC) has a Debt-to-Equity of 0.24 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Alcon and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 0.24. Over the past decade, Alcon's Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.01 to 0.26. According to the industry distribution chart, Alcon ranks #357 out of 704 companies in the Medical Devices & Instruments industry, placing it in the top 50.7%.
Is Alcon's Debt-to-Equity too high?
Alcon's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.24 is near median its 10-year median of 0.24. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.01 to a high of 0.26. The Medical Devices & Instruments industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.23. Alcon's value of 0.24 is 4.3% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Alcon ranks #357 out of 704 companies in the Medical Devices & Instruments industry, which is below the industry midpoint. 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 Debt-to-Equity compare to ISRG and BDX?
According to the Medical Devices & Instruments industry distribution chart, Alcon ranks #357 out of 704 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This places Alcon in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.23. Alcon's value of 0.24 is 4.3% above this benchmark. Historically, Alcon's own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.01 to 0.26 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.24 vs. the industry median of 0.23, Alcon has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-Equity for a Medical Devices & Instruments company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Medical Devices & Instruments companies is 0.23, based on 704 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Alcon's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.24 is 4.3% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-Equity mean?
A high Debt-to-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Alcon and its competitors. For the Medical Devices & Instruments industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.23 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Alcon's current Debt-to-Equity is 0.24, which is near median its own 10-year median of 0.24. 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 $93.53, compared to a current price of $70.26 — trading 24.9% below its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is 0.24, which is near median its 10-year median of 0.24 and 4.3% above the Medical Devices & Instruments industry median of 0.23. 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 Debt-to-Equity calculated?
Debt-to-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Alcon (ALC), the current Debt-to-Equity is 0.24 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 $70.26 is trading 24.9% below its estimated GF Value™ of $93.53.
GuruFocus considers Alcon to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for ALC:
Debt-to-Equity: 0.24 (near median its 10-year median of 0.24)
GF Value™: $93.53 vs. price of $70.26 (24.9% below fair value)
Industry Position: 4.3% above the Medical Devices & Instruments median (#357 of 704)
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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