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Side-by-side financial comparison of ALCON INC (ALC) and Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

Burlington Stores, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($2.7B vs $2.6B, roughly 1.0× ALCON INC). ALCON INC runs the higher net margin — 6.8% vs 3.9%, a 2.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Burlington Stores, Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (7.1% vs 4.0%).

Alcon Inc. is a Swiss-American pharmaceutical and medical device company specializing in eye care products. Alcon is incorporated in the Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland, and its global headquarters are located in Geneva, but its main operational base is in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, where it employs about 4,500 people.

Burlington, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is an American national off-price retailer, and a division of Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation with more than 1,138 stores in 46 states and Puerto Rico, with its corporate headquarters located in Burlington Township, New Jersey. In 2007, it was acquired by Bain Capital in a transaction and in 2008, Tom Kingsbury became president and CEO. The company went public again in 2013. Burlington is the third largest off-price retailer...

ALC vs BURL — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
BURL
BURL
1.0× larger
BURL
$2.7B
$2.6B
ALC
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
BURL
BURL
+3.1% gap
BURL
7.1%
4.0%
ALC
Higher net margin
ALC
ALC
2.9% more per $
ALC
6.8%
3.9%
BURL

Income Statement — Q2 FY2025 vs Q3 FY2026

Metric
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Revenue
$2.6B
$2.7B
Net Profit
$176.0M
$104.8M
Gross Margin
53.5%
44.2%
Operating Margin
9.5%
5.1%
Net Margin
6.8%
3.9%
Revenue YoY
4.0%
7.1%
Net Profit YoY
-21.1%
15.6%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$1.63

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
$2.7B
Q3 25
$2.7B
Q2 25
$2.6B
$2.5B
Q1 25
$3.3B
Q4 24
$2.5B
Q3 24
$2.5B
Q2 24
$2.5B
$2.4B
Q1 24
$3.1B
Net Profit
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
$104.8M
Q3 25
$94.2M
Q2 25
$176.0M
$100.8M
Q1 25
$260.8M
Q4 24
$90.6M
Q3 24
$73.8M
Q2 24
$223.0M
$78.5M
Q1 24
$227.5M
Gross Margin
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
44.2%
Q3 25
43.7%
Q2 25
53.5%
43.8%
Q1 25
42.9%
Q4 24
43.9%
Q3 24
42.8%
Q2 24
55.0%
43.5%
Q1 24
42.7%
Operating Margin
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
5.1%
Q3 25
4.7%
Q2 25
9.5%
5.3%
Q1 25
10.6%
Q4 24
4.7%
Q3 24
4.0%
Q2 24
12.7%
4.7%
Q1 24
10.0%
Net Margin
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
3.9%
Q3 25
3.5%
Q2 25
6.8%
4.0%
Q1 25
8.0%
Q4 24
3.6%
Q3 24
3.0%
Q2 24
8.9%
3.3%
Q1 24
7.3%
EPS (diluted)
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
$1.63
Q3 25
$1.47
Q2 25
$0.35
$1.58
Q1 25
$4.03
Q4 24
$1.40
Q3 24
$1.15
Q2 24
$0.45
$1.22
Q1 24
$3.51

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.4B
$584.1M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$2.0B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$22.1B
$1.5B
Total Assets
$31.4B
$9.6B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
1.32×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
$584.1M
Q3 25
$747.6M
Q2 25
$1.4B
$371.1M
Q1 25
$994.7M
Q4 24
$857.8M
Q3 24
$659.9M
Q2 24
$1.4B
$742.3M
Q1 24
$925.4M
Total Debt
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
$2.0B
Q3 25
$2.0B
Q2 25
$1.6B
Q1 25
$1.5B
Q4 24
$1.5B
Q3 24
$1.2B
Q2 24
$1.2B
Q1 24
$1.4B
Stockholders' Equity
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
$1.5B
Q3 25
$1.4B
Q2 25
$22.1B
$1.4B
Q1 25
$1.4B
Q4 24
$1.1B
Q3 24
$1.1B
Q2 24
$20.9B
$1.0B
Q1 24
$996.9M
Total Assets
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
$9.6B
Q3 25
$9.3B
Q2 25
$31.4B
$8.5B
Q1 25
$8.8B
Q4 24
$8.4B
Q3 24
$7.8B
Q2 24
$29.7B
$7.7B
Q1 24
$7.7B
Debt / Equity
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
1.32×
Q3 25
1.40×
Q2 25
1.21×
Q1 25
1.12×
Q4 24
1.35×
Q3 24
1.15×
Q2 24
1.20×
Q1 24
1.40×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$143.3M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$-109.6M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
-4.1%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
9.3%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
1.37×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$-358.5M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
$143.3M
Q3 25
$179.4M
Q2 25
$-28.9M
Q1 25
$543.2M
Q4 24
$110.4M
Q3 24
$160.4M
Q2 24
$49.4M
Q1 24
$598.5M
Free Cash Flow
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
$-109.6M
Q3 25
$-101.0K
Q2 25
$-438.6M
Q1 25
$189.8M
Q4 24
$-56.2M
Q3 24
$-35.2M
Q2 24
$-115.5M
Q1 24
$410.3M
FCF Margin
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
-4.1%
Q3 25
-0.0%
Q2 25
-17.5%
Q1 25
5.8%
Q4 24
-2.2%
Q3 24
-1.4%
Q2 24
-4.9%
Q1 24
13.1%
Capex Intensity
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
9.3%
Q3 25
6.6%
Q2 25
16.4%
Q1 25
10.8%
Q4 24
6.6%
Q3 24
7.9%
Q2 24
7.0%
Q1 24
6.0%
Cash Conversion
ALC
ALC
BURL
BURL
Q4 25
1.37×
Q3 25
1.91×
Q2 25
-0.29×
Q1 25
2.08×
Q4 24
1.22×
Q3 24
2.18×
Q2 24
0.63×
Q1 24
2.63×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

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