Analyst Consensus ?
ConsensusHold26 ratings
Bullish1453.8%
Neutral1038.5%
Bearish27.7%
Alcon Inc. · ALC · FY2024 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2024
Alcon: International growth offsets US surgical softness
The quarter supports a measured version of the growth thesis: international demand, product launches, and share gains provide evidence for continued expansion, while lowered guidance, US surgical softness, and execution risks argue against treating that trajectory as assured.
Reported After market closeNYSEHealthcare
$33.92B market cap
80quality score
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS
—
Consensus $0.74
EPS surprise
—
Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue
—
Consensus $2.46B
Revenue surprise
—
Reported versus consensus
Market reaction
event-close to next-session close
Stock move
+0.7%
Event window
SPY move
+0.0%
Same window
Abnormal move
+0.6%
Stock minus SPY
Volume
2.9×
Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift
-2.0%
Up to 20 sessions
ALCSPY benchmark
Ask FN2 about ALC FY2024 Q3
Transcript, numbers and history already loaded
What drove ALC's +0.7% move after FY2024 Q3 earnings?What changed in ALC's guidance and outlook in FY2024 Q3?Give me the bull and bear case for ALC after FY2024 Q3 earnings.
Free account. Your question opens in FN2 with this report's transcript and numbers attached.
Transcript intelligence
What changed
Relative to the prior quarter, the narrative shifted from maintained guidance to a modestly lowered outlook. Management continued to point to international growth and a strong product pipeline, while US surgical softness, competitive sampling, and launch investment became more prominent constraints.
Guidance delta
Management lowered full-year guidance modestly versus the prior quarter, while retaining a view of resilient international demand and continued product-led growth.
Key takeaways
- Q3 growth was supported by international markets, implantables, contact lenses, and record free cash flow.
- Management emphasized a broad 2025 launch pipeline spanning Precision7, Systane Pro, 512, Unity VCS, and Voyager DSLT.
- The central tension is durable international momentum versus softer US surgery, launch execution, and margin pressure.
Management priorities
- Expand international implantable volumes and newer IOL platforms.
- Execute the 2025 launches across contact lenses, ocular health, pharmaceuticals, and surgical equipment.
- Advance regulatory and commercial milestones for 512, Unity VCS, and Voyager DSLT.
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Estimate
Beat
Miss
Match
Analyst 52W Price Targets
$70.17Current
$35Low
$87.31Average
$110High
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 26, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Needham | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 21, 2026 |
| BTIG | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 12, 2026 |
| Jefferies | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Sep 22, 2026 |
| Mizuho | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Aug 12, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Aug 12, 2026 |
| Barclays | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | May 8, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | May 7, 2026 |
| Baird | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | May 7, 2026 |
| Stifel | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Mar 9, 2026 |
| B of A Securities | Underperform | Buy | Downgrade | Dec 11, 2025 |
| Keybanc | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Oct 21, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Aug 21, 2025 |
| Redburn Atlantic | Neutral | Sell | Upgrade | Oct 10, 2024 |
| RBC Capital | Outperform | Sector Perform | Upgrade | Sep 10, 2024 |
| Oppenheimer | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Aug 22, 2024 |
| Argus Research | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Mar 4, 2024 |
| Bernstein | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Feb 29, 2024 |
| Societe Generale | Sell | Hold | Downgrade | Nov 17, 2022 |
| Citigroup | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Nov 17, 2022 |
| Stephens & Co. | Overweight | Equal Weight | Upgrade | May 12, 2022 |
| Credit Suisse | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Feb 17, 2022 |
| SVB Leerink | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Aug 19, 2021 |
| UBS | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Mar 13, 2020 |
| Bank of America | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Aug 21, 2019 |
| BMO Capital | Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Apr 18, 2019 |
| Berenberg | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Apr 10, 2019 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $70.17. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTIG | Analyst unavailable | $74 | $64.14 | +5.5% | Oct 12, 2026 |
| Barclays | Christopher Pasquale | $70 | $63.19 | -0.2% | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Jefferies | Michael Sarcone | $85 | $65.34 | +21.1% | Sep 22, 2026 |
| BNP Paribas | Analyst unavailable | $79 | $73.58 | +12.6% | Aug 13, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $35 | $72.87 | -50.1% | Aug 12, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Steve Lichtman | $85 | $75.35 | +21.1% | Aug 12, 2026 |
| BTIG | Ryan Zimmerman | $82 | $75.22 | +16.9% | Aug 11, 2026 |
| Mizuho Securities | Analyst unavailable | $80 | $66.86 | +14.0% | Jul 15, 2026 |
| Argus Research | Analyst unavailable | $85 | $68.7 | +21.1% | Jul 2, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $78 | $63.88 | +11.2% | May 8, 2026 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Analyst unavailable | $70 | $65.5 | -0.2% | May 6, 2026 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Analyst unavailable | $82 | $81.85 | +16.9% | Mar 9, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Larry Biegelsen | $97 | $86.27 | +38.2% | Feb 26, 2026 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Analyst unavailable | $80 | $80.62 | +14.0% | Jan 9, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Susannah Ludwig | $101.09 | $77.67 | +44.1% | Nov 14, 2025 |
| KeyBanc | Analyst unavailable | $91 | $75.46 | +29.7% | Oct 21, 2025 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $91 | $72.05 | +29.7% | Oct 13, 2025 |
| Barclays | Matt Miksic | $86 | $72.05 | +22.6% | Oct 13, 2025 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Thomas Stephan | $85 | $73.92 | +21.1% | Sep 29, 2025 |
| BTIG | Ryan Zimmerman | $100 | $87.49 | +42.5% | Jul 14, 2025 |
| KeyBanc | Brett Fishbin | $107 | $97.59 | +52.5% | Oct 15, 2024 |
| Robert W. Baird | Jeff Johnson | $110 | $95.56 | +56.8% | Aug 22, 2024 |
| Morgan Stanley | Patrick Wood | $85 | $89.96 | +21.1% | Jul 15, 2024 |
| Mizuho Securities | Anthony Petrone | $105 | $89.97 | +49.6% | May 16, 2024 |
| Oppenheimer | Steve Lichtman | $103 | $89.28 | +46.8% | May 15, 2024 |
| Robert W. Baird | Jeff Johnson | $104 | $89.28 | +48.2% | May 15, 2024 |
| Wells Fargo | Larry Biegelsen | $94 | $89.28 | +34.0% | May 15, 2024 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Tom Stephan | $100 | $89.28 | +42.5% | May 14, 2024 |
| Jefferies | Anthony Petrone | $105 | $89.28 | +49.6% | May 14, 2024 |
| KeyBanc | Brett Fishbin | $96 | $89.28 | +36.8% | May 14, 2024 |
| Needham | David Saxon | $101 | $88.99 | +43.9% | May 14, 2024 |
| BTIG | Ryan Zimmerman | $92 | $88.96 | +31.1% | May 14, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | Richard Felton | $100 | $82.68 | +42.5% | Apr 10, 2024 |
| Bernstein | Susannah Ludwig | $76 | $76.88 | +8.3% | Jan 23, 2024 |
| Robert W. Baird | Jeff Johnson | $90 | $74.31 | +28.3% | May 10, 2023 |
| BTIG | Analyst unavailable | $78 | $67.91 | +11.2% | Dec 21, 2022 |
| Citigroup | Analyst unavailable | $69 | $66.33 | -1.7% | Nov 17, 2022 |
| Argus Research | John Staszak | $78 | $66.4 | +11.2% | Jun 23, 2022 |
| Stephens | Chris Cooley | $86 | $77.17 | +22.6% | Jan 23, 2022 |
| Goldman Sachs | Veronika Dubajova | $94.08 | $78.4 | +34.1% | Nov 30, 2021 |
| Berenberg Bank | Scott Bardo | $96.22 | $83.53 | +37.1% | Nov 17, 2021 |
| Citigroup | Joanne Wuensch | $87 | $81.46 | +24.0% | Nov 11, 2021 |
| Deutsche Bank | Falko Friedrichs | $90.87 | $82.64 | +29.5% | Nov 10, 2021 |
| Argus Research | John Staszak | $88 | $78.5 | +25.4% | Oct 8, 2021 |
| Wells Fargo | Larry Biegelsen | $93 | $83.95 | +32.5% | Sep 13, 2021 |
| UBS | Michael Leuchten | $90.87 | $80.69 | +29.5% | Aug 23, 2021 |
| Societe Generale | Delphine Le Louet | $82.85 | $80.71 | +18.1% | Aug 20, 2021 |
| Leerink Partners | Richard Newitter | $82 | $71.36 | +16.9% | Aug 17, 2021 |
Track every rating change on ALC the moment it posts. Free to start.
Start freeCompany context
Snapshot as of publicationAlcon Inc. researches, develops, manufactures, distributes, and sells eye care products worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Surgical and Vision Care. It offers equipment, instrumentation and diagnostics, intraocular lenses (IOLs), and other implantables; and consumables, including viscoelastics, surgical solutions, incisional instruments, surgical custom packs, and other products for surgical procedures. The company’s cataract products include Unity CS, LenSx laser system, Verion reference unit and Verion digital marker, ARGOS biometer, SMARTCATARACT health platform, NGENUITY 3D visualization system, LuxOR surgical ophthalmic microscope, and ORA system for intra-operative measurements; ADI cloud-based platform; and implantable products, including monofocal, Toric, and Presbyopia-Correcting IOLs, as well as delivery systems, such as…
Historical context
All ALC earningsHealthcare peers this season
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDY Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited | FY2027 Q2 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +24.0% | -0.2% | Dr. Reddy’s: margins improve as semaglutide rollout advances |
| DGX Quest Diagnostics Incorporated | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +4.5% | +1.8% | Quest Diagnostics: growth broadens, but PAMA remains a headwind |
| ARGX argenx SE | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | — | -1.6% | argenx: VYVGART momentum and a broader late-stage pipeline |
| MEDP Medpace Holdings, Inc. | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +9.0% | -1.3% | Medpace: Record awards lift backlog as 2026 outlook improves |
| MOH Molina Healthcare, Inc. | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +12.7% | +0.8% | Molina reaffirms 2026 outlook as Florida contract scales |
Latest beats and misses
Who reports nextBeat on EPS
- FCNCAFY2026 Q3 · October 23, 2026+19.9% EPS+8.2% move
- FCNCNFY2026 Q3 · October 23, 2026+19.9% EPS+0.2% move
- FCNCOFY2026 Q3 · October 23, 2026+19.9% EPS+1.0% move
- FCNCPFY2026 Q3 · October 23, 2026+19.9% EPS+1.0% move
- RDYFY2027 Q2 · October 23, 2026+24.0% EPS-0.2% move
- SLBFY2026 Q3 · October 23, 2026+3.7% EPS+7.1% move
Missed on EPS
- INFYFY2027 Q2 · October 23, 2026-4.8% EPS-6.6% move
- BBDFY2026 Q3 · October 22, 2026-7.7% EPS+3.0% move
- SNAFY2026 Q3 · October 22, 2026-5.9% EPS-3.4% move
- SPOTFY2026 Q3 · October 22, 2026-11.6% EPS+11.1% move
- VRSNFY2026 Q3 · October 22, 2026-2.0% EPS-0.9% move
- HBANMFY2026 Q3 · October 22, 2026-5.3% EPS+0.5% move
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Sources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2024-11-10T18:39:04.055137+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-26T04:20:43.772903+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-26T04:20:43.770220+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-26. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.