COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026

ALC vs LIVN

Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. ALC scored 73.3, LIVN scored 69.8 — ALC leads.
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ALC
Alcon Inc.
Medical Instruments & Supplies · Quality-Growth
73.3
$73.63 · $35.6B
Score gap
3.5
ALC leads
LIVN
LivaNova PLC
Medical Devices · Quality-Growth
69.8
$78.74 · $4.3B
fundamentals as of
  • CheapestLIVN23.2x
  • Fastest growthLIVN+12.4%
  • Strongest balance sheetALC0.25
  • Highest qualityALC87 / 100
  • Largest discount to fair valueALC-30%
THE BULL RANKINGS SCORECARD73.3/ 100 · BULL SCOREPEER MEDIANQUALITY87.5GROWTH71.4VALUE63.2
THE BULL RANKINGS SCORECARD69.8/ 100 · BULL SCOREPEER MEDIANQUALITY61.5GROWTH82.4VALUE66.9
ALCLIVNQuality87.561.5Growth71.482.4Value63.266.9
cheap & fastrevenue growth →← cheaper (lower multiple)0%22%17x62xALCLIVN

Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.

FCFALC$2.1bLIVN$148m
RevALC+10.5%LIVN+12.4%
D/EALC0.25LIVN0.27
P/EALC56.2xLIVN23.2x
PEGALC1.53LIVN0.93
ALC
stronger →← stronger
LIVN
87
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
61
71
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
82
63
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
67
LIVN is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
ALC
LIVN
$2.1bB
FCF
$148mC
+10.5%B
Rev
+12.4%B+
0.25B
D/E
0.27B
56.2xC
P/E
23.2xB+
1.53C+
PEG
0.93B+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
ALC
LIVN
30% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
62% above
~0%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~17%/yr
+24%
1-yr DCF upside
-42%
+43%
5-yr DCF upside
-38%
+76%
10-yr DCF upside
-33%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
ALC
Why this score
  • Durable high returns
LIVN
No notable signals flagged.
ALCAlcon Inc.
Medical Instruments & Supplies · $73.63 · beta 0.69
Why now
Medical Instruments & Supplies · market cap $35.6b. 16% off the 52-week high of $87.64. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 15 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $85.24 (implying +16% upside).
Moat
Net margin 31% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 30% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which.
Risk
Trailing P/E 56.2x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating.
LIVNLivaNova PLC
Medical Devices · $78.74 · beta 0.87
Why now
Medical Devices · market cap $4.3b. 8% off the 52-week high of $85.76. Revenue growing +12%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.93 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 10 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $88.80 (implying +13% upside).
Moat
Net margin 13% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 14% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere.
Risk
Value re-rating depends on a catalyst. Without one — analyst day, divestiture, margin recovery, capital return — the stock can stay cheap on these multiples for years.
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.

Where ALC and LIVN diverge

On the headline score the gap is 3.5 points in favor of ALC. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.

Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.