Stryker
Stryker's revenue rose 11.2% to $25.1 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was 19.5%, up from 16.3% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $4.3 billion, up 22.8%. It paid out $1.3 billion in dividends and buybacks, 30% of free cash flow. The diluted share count rose 0.2%.
Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on capital is after-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.
What Stryker does
Stryker makes medical devices, mostly sold directly to doctors, hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Its products include surgical tools, endoscopy cameras, hospital beds and stretchers, defibrillators, stroke and blood-clot treatment devices, and joint replacement implants. It sells in about 61 countries through its own subsidiaries and through outside dealers and distributors. It says its products reach more than 150 million patients a year.
It has two segments. MedSurg and Neurotechnology (instruments, endoscopy, medical, vascular and neuro cranial products) is the larger one by sales. Orthopaedics sells knee, hip, shoulder, trauma and extremity implants, including for use with its Mako robotic-arm system, now offered in more than 45 countries. Stryker says it competes in joint replacement mainly with Zimmer Biomet, Johnson & Johnson MedTech and Smith & Nephew, and names Medtronic and Olympus as rivals in other lines.
In 2025 Stryker bought Inari Medical, which adds products for blood clots in veins and now forms part of its Vascular business, along with smaller deals such as Guard Medical. The company owns about 5,600 US patents. Its business is generally not seasonal, though orthopaedic surgeries are fewer in summer and equipment sales are higher in the fourth quarter.
Its biggest risks, as it describes them
- Pricing pressure from health systems, insurers and governments that limit what they pay for devices.
- Intense competition, with new technology that could make its products obsolete.
- Shortages or price increases in materials and parts, including those it buys from a single supplier.
- Relying on independent distributors and on good relationships with healthcare professionals.
- Product liability claims, and strict healthcare laws that can bring large penalties.
Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.
Revenue and margins
Net income and earnings per share
From fiscal 2016 to 2025, earnings per share grew 7.6% a year and net income 7.8% a year, as new shares raised the share count by 2% and diluted each share's earnings.
Returns on capital
Cash flow
Payouts and share count
Valuation
Two ways to value Stryker yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.
Discounted cash flow (DCF)
A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from Stryker's 10-K (or, for net cash and shares, its latest 10-Q) and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from Stryker's fiscal 2025 free cash flow of $4.3B, net cash of −$10.8B at December 31, 2025 and 386 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to Stryker: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, 10.8% a year; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 9% for a business of moderate risk (Health Care Equipment); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $306.13
- Value on these assumptions, against the last close
- —
- Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today
- —
- Everything after year 10, valued today
- —
- Plus net cash
- —
- Share of value from after year 10
How the value changes with two assumptions
Price-to-earnings (P/E) method
Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from Stryker's earnings per share of $9.65 (over the last four quarters). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 27.8×, the middle of Stryker's own P/E today, its peers' median and its sector's median (the Health Care median) for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 10%, 9% and 8%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $306.13
- Value at this multiple, against the last close
- —
- Stryker's P/E at the last close
- 31.7×
| Company | Last close | Earnings per share | P/E today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Becton DickinsonBDX | $196.39 | $3.32 | 59.2× |
| StrykerSYK | $306.13 | $9.65 | 31.7× |
| Boston ScientificBSX | $45.58 | $2.47 | 18.5× |
| GE HealthCareGEHC | $71.98 | $4.18 | 17.2× |
Balance sheet
| Fiscal year end | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and short-term investments | 3.0 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 12.5 | 11.9 | 10.9 | 12.2 | 14.9 |
| Net debt (negative means net cash) | 9.5 | 9.9 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 10.8 |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 2.5x | 2.4x | 1.5x | 1.6x | 1.7x |
| Debt to equity | 0.8x | 0.7x | 0.6x | 0.6x | 0.7x |
| Interest coverage | 7.7x | 8.4x | 10.7x | 9.0x | 8.1x |
| Current ratio | 2.2x | 1.6x | 1.6x | 1.9x | 1.9x |
| Quick ratio | 1.5x | 1.0x | 1.0x | 1.3x | 1.2x |
Insider trades
Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, no insider bought Stryker shares on the open market, and 8 insiders sold $586.1 million, $1.4 million of it under trading plans set up in advance.
| Date | Insider | Trade | Shares | Price | Value | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2026 | Dylan Bram CrottyGroup President | Sold | 441 | $328.61 | $144,917 | Form 4 |
| Aug 19, 2026 | Ronda E StrykerDirector | Sold | 50,000 | $340.11 | $17.0 million | Form 4 |
| Aug 18, 2026 | Ronda E StrykerDirector | Sold | 300,000 | $335.90 | $100.8 million | Form 4 |
| Aug 18, 2026 | Debra KingSee Remarks | Sold | 826 | $336.30 | $277,784 | Form 4 |
| May 28, 2026 | Robert S FletcherVP, Chief Legal Officer | Sold plan | 4,544 | $306.87 | $1.4 million | Form 4 |
| May 26, 2026 | Ronda E StrykerDirector | Sold | 310,000 | $312.23 | $96.8 million | Form 4 |
| May 11, 2026 | Fink M KathrynVP, Chief HR Officer | Sold | 8,720 | $283.69 | $2.5 million | Form 4 |
| Feb 5, 2026 | Ronda E StrykerDirector | Sold | 250,000 | $363.96 | $91.0 million | Form 4 |
| Feb 4, 2026 | Ronda E StrykerDirector | Sold | 250,000 | $362.92 | $90.7 million | Form 4 |
| Feb 2, 2026 | James Andrew PierceGroup President | Sold | 475 | $368.87 | $175,213 | Form 4 |
| Nov 20, 2025 | Preston Wendell WellsVP, Chief Financial Officer | Sold | 165 | $365.88 | $60,370 | Form 4 |
| Nov 14, 2025 | William E Berry JrVP, Chief Accounting Officer | Sold | 1,953 | $365.49 | $713,802 | Form 4 |
Piotroski F-score
The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.
| Test | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net income is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Cash from operations is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Return on assets rose | Pass | Fail | Pass |
| Cash from operations exceeds net income | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Debt fell relative to assets | Pass | Fail | Fail |
| Current ratio rose | Fail | Pass | Fail |
| Share count didn't rise | Fail | Fail | Fail |
| Gross margin rose | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Revenue rose relative to assets | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| F-score | 7 of 9 | 6 of 9 | 6 of 9 |
| Accruals ratio | −1.4% | −3.0% | −4.0% |
Compare
Put Stryker side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.
Similar companies
| Company | Year | Revenue growth | Operating margin | Free cash flow margin | Return on capital | Net debt to EBITDA | F-score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stryker | FY25 | 11.2% | 19.5% | 17.1% | 11.3% | 1.7x | 6 | |
| Becton Dickinson | FY25 | 8.2% | 11.8% | 12.2% | 5.5% | 3.4x | 6 | Compare |
| GE HealthCare | FY25 | 4.8% | 13.4% | 7.3% | 13.2% | 1.8x | 7 | Compare |
| Boston Scientific | FY25 | 19.9% | 18.0% | 18.2% | 9.6% | 1.8x | 7 | Compare |
| Philips | FY25 | −1.0% | 8.0% | — | 6.5% | 2.1x | — | Compare |
10 years of figures
| Fiscal year | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income statement | ||||||||||
| Revenue | 11.3 | 12.4 | 13.6 | 14.9 | 14.4 | 17.1 | 18.4 | 20.5 | 22.6 | 25.1 |
| Revenue growth | 13.9% | 9.9% | 9.3% | 9.4% | −3.6% | 19.2% | 7.8% | 11.1% | 10.2% | 11.2% |
| Gross profit | 7.5 | 8.2 | 8.9 | 9.7 | 9.1 | 11.0 | 11.6 | 13.1 | 14.4 | 16.1 |
| Research and development | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Operating income | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.9 |
| Net income | 1.6 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
| Diluted EPS (US$) | 4.35 | 2.68 | 9.34 | 5.48 | 4.20 | 5.21 | 6.17 | 8.25 | 7.76 | 8.40 |
| Diluted shares (millions) | 378 | 380 | 380 | 380 | 380 | 382 | 382 | 384 | 386 | 386 |
| Cash flow | ||||||||||
| Cash from operations | 1.9 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| Capital expenditure | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Free cash flow | 1.4 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 4.3 |
| Dividends paid | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Share buybacks | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Acquisitions | 4.3 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 4.2 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 5.0 |
| Stock-based compensation | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Balance sheet at fiscal year end | ||||||||||
| Cash and short-term investments | 3.3 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 6.9 | 6.6 | 8.5 | 10.2 | 13.2 | 12.5 | 11.9 | 10.9 | 12.2 | 14.9 |
| Total assets | 20.4 | 22.2 | 27.2 | 30.2 | 34.3 | 34.6 | 36.9 | 39.9 | 43.0 | 47.8 |
| Total liabilities | 10.9 | 12.2 | 15.5 | 17.4 | 21.2 | 19.8 | 20.3 | 21.3 | 22.3 | 25.4 |
| Shareholders' equity | 9.6 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 12.8 | 13.1 | 14.9 | 16.6 | 18.6 | 20.6 | 22.4 |
| Margins and ratios | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 66.3% | 65.7% | 65.7% | 65.1% | 63.1% | 64.1% | 62.8% | 63.7% | 63.9% | 64.0% |
| Operating margin | 19.2% | 18.5% | 18.6% | 18.2% | 15.5% | 15.1% | 15.4% | 19.0% | 16.3% | 19.5% |
| Net margin | 14.5% | 8.2% | 26.1% | 14.0% | 11.1% | 11.7% | 12.8% | 15.4% | 13.2% | 12.9% |
| Free cash flow margin | 12.6% | 7.7% | 15.0% | 10.4% | 19.4% | 16.0% | 11.0% | 15.3% | 15.4% | 17.1% |
| Return on capital | 17.4% | 8.5% | 16.6% | 12.5% | 8.7% | 9.5% | 9.8% | 12.7% | 11.4% | 11.3% |
| Return on equity | 18.2% | 10.4% | 32.8% | 17.0% | 12.3% | 14.3% | 15.0% | 18.0% | 15.3% | 15.1% |
| Return on assets | 9.0% | 4.8% | 14.4% | 7.3% | 5.0% | 5.8% | 6.6% | 8.2% | 7.2% | 7.2% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 1.2x | 1.3x | 1.4x | 1.6x | 3.1x | 2.5x | 2.4x | 1.5x | 1.6x | 1.7x |