Alcon vs West Pharmaceutical Services
Alcon reported revenue of $10.4 billion in fiscal 2025, 3.4 times West Pharmaceutical Services' $3.1 billion in fiscal 2025. Alcon's revenue grew 4.9% in its latest year, and West Pharmaceutical Services' grew 6.2%. Alcon had an operating margin of 13.1%, against 19.0% at West Pharmaceutical Services. Free cash flow was $1.7 billion at Alcon and $469 million at West Pharmaceutical Services.
Side by side
| Alcon | West Pharmaceutical Services | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest fiscal year | FY2025, Dec 31, 2025 | FY2025, Dec 31, 2025 |
| Revenue | $10.4B | $3.1B |
| Revenue growth | 4.9% | 6.2% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 5 years | 8.8% | 7.4% |
| Gross margin | 55.2% | 35.9% |
| Operating margin | 13.1% | 19.0% |
| Net margin | 9.4% | 16.1% |
| Free cash flow | $1.7B | $469M |
| Free cash flow margin | 16.6% | 15.2% |
| Return on capital | 4.6% | 18.7% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | — | −0.8x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $842M | $195M |
| Change in diluted share count | −0.3% | −1.4% |
| Last close | $69.99 | $394.73 |
| P/E at the last close | — | 50.5× |
| Insider trades, last 12 months | — | sold $6.6 million |
| Piotroski F-score | 6 of 9 | 9 of 9 |
Amounts in each company's own currency, US$ unless marked (a foreign company may report in another), each company's latest fiscal year from its 10-K, or 20-F or 40-F for a foreign company. Growth rates compare with the year before; the five-year rate is the average a year. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending; return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business; P/E is the last close over the latest earnings per share. Banks are measured differently (return on equity, efficiency ratio), so some rows apply to one company only.
Ten years
Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
AlconWest Pharmaceutical Services
Operating margin
Percent of revenue
AlconWest Pharmaceutical Services
Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure.
AlconWest Pharmaceutical Services
Source: the companies' Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR, and the last close. For information only, not investment advice: the figures describe results, not which company is the better investment. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with either company. Full figures on the Alcon and West Pharmaceutical Services pages.