vs

Side-by-side financial comparison of ALCON INC (ALC) and Howmet Aerospace (HWM). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

ALCON INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($2.6B vs $2.3B, roughly 1.1× Howmet Aerospace). Howmet Aerospace runs the higher net margin — 25.1% vs 6.8%, a 18.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Howmet Aerospace posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (19.0% 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.

Howmet Aerospace Inc. is an American aerospace company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company manufactures components for jet engines, fasteners, titanium structures for aerospace applications, and forged aluminum wheels for heavy trucks.

ALC vs HWM — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
ALC
ALC
1.1× larger
ALC
$2.6B
$2.3B
HWM
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
HWM
HWM
+15.0% gap
HWM
19.0%
4.0%
ALC
Higher net margin
HWM
HWM
18.3% more per $
HWM
25.1%
6.8%
ALC

Income Statement — Q2 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026

Metric
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Revenue
$2.6B
$2.3B
Net Profit
$176.0M
$580.0M
Gross Margin
53.5%
Operating Margin
9.5%
32.6%
Net Margin
6.8%
25.1%
Revenue YoY
4.0%
19.0%
Net Profit YoY
-21.1%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35

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
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
$2.3B
Q4 25
$2.2B
Q3 25
$2.1B
Q2 25
$2.6B
$2.1B
Q1 25
$1.9B
Q4 24
$1.9B
Q3 24
$1.8B
Q2 24
$2.5B
$1.9B
Net Profit
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
$580.0M
Q4 25
$372.0M
Q3 25
$385.0M
Q2 25
$176.0M
$407.0M
Q1 25
$344.0M
Q4 24
$314.0M
Q3 24
$332.0M
Q2 24
$223.0M
$266.0M
Gross Margin
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
Q4 25
Q3 25
Q2 25
53.5%
Q1 25
Q4 24
Q3 24
Q2 24
55.0%
Operating Margin
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
32.6%
Q4 25
22.6%
Q3 25
25.9%
Q2 25
9.5%
25.4%
Q1 25
25.4%
Q4 24
23.5%
Q3 24
22.9%
Q2 24
12.7%
21.2%
Net Margin
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
25.1%
Q4 25
17.2%
Q3 25
18.4%
Q2 25
6.8%
19.8%
Q1 25
17.7%
Q4 24
16.6%
Q3 24
18.1%
Q2 24
8.9%
14.1%
EPS (diluted)
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
Q4 25
$0.92
Q3 25
$0.95
Q2 25
$0.35
$1.00
Q1 25
$0.84
Q4 24
$0.76
Q3 24
$0.81
Q2 24
$0.45
$0.65

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.4B
$2.4M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$450.0K
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$22.1B
$5.5M
Total Assets
$31.4B
$13.1M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.08×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
$2.4M
Q4 25
$742.0M
Q3 25
$659.0M
Q2 25
$1.4B
$545.0M
Q1 25
$536.0M
Q4 24
$564.0M
Q3 24
$475.0M
Q2 24
$1.4B
$752.0M
Total Debt
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
$450.0K
Q4 25
$3.0B
Q3 25
$3.2B
Q2 25
$3.3B
Q1 25
$3.3B
Q4 24
$3.3B
Q3 24
$3.4B
Q2 24
$3.7B
Stockholders' Equity
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
$5.5M
Q4 25
$5.4B
Q3 25
$5.1B
Q2 25
$22.1B
$5.0B
Q1 25
$4.8B
Q4 24
$4.6B
Q3 24
$4.5B
Q2 24
$20.9B
$4.3B
Total Assets
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
$13.1M
Q4 25
$11.2B
Q3 25
$11.2B
Q2 25
$31.4B
$11.0B
Q1 25
$10.8B
Q4 24
$10.5B
Q3 24
$10.6B
Q2 24
$29.7B
$10.7B
Debt / Equity
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
0.08×
Q4 25
0.57×
Q3 25
0.62×
Q2 25
0.65×
Q1 25
0.69×
Q4 24
0.73×
Q3 24
0.75×
Q2 24
0.86×

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
HWM
HWM
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$359.0M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
15.5%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
9.3%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$1.7B

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
Q4 25
$654.0M
Q3 25
$531.0M
Q2 25
$446.0M
Q1 25
$253.0M
Q4 24
$480.0M
Q3 24
$244.0M
Q2 24
$397.0M
Free Cash Flow
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
$359.0M
Q4 25
$530.0M
Q3 25
$423.0M
Q2 25
$344.0M
Q1 25
$134.0M
Q4 24
$378.0M
Q3 24
$162.0M
Q2 24
$342.0M
FCF Margin
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
15.5%
Q4 25
24.4%
Q3 25
20.2%
Q2 25
16.8%
Q1 25
6.9%
Q4 24
20.0%
Q3 24
8.8%
Q2 24
18.2%
Capex Intensity
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
9.3%
Q4 25
5.7%
Q3 25
5.2%
Q2 25
5.0%
Q1 25
6.1%
Q4 24
5.4%
Q3 24
4.5%
Q2 24
2.9%
Cash Conversion
ALC
ALC
HWM
HWM
Q1 26
Q4 25
1.76×
Q3 25
1.38×
Q2 25
1.10×
Q1 25
0.74×
Q4 24
1.53×
Q3 24
0.73×
Q2 24
1.49×

Financial Flow Comparison

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

Related Comparisons