Alcon stock slides as Q1 sales miss expectations and reported profitability drops sharply

Alcon (ALC) is down 10.7% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The selloff appears tied to Alcon’s first-quarter update, where sales growth was solid but came in slightly below market expectations while reported operating profitability and reported EPS fell meaningfully year over year. Investors may be reacting to signs of pressure in cataract-related markets and competitive dynamics in parts of Surgical, even as the company highlighted new-product momentum and approved a new buyback authorization.

Details:

Alcon posted first-quarter 2026 net sales of $2.685 billion (up 10% reported, up 6% in constant currency), but the topline was modestly below consensus expectations referenced in market coverage.

Reported operating margin declined to 10.9% from 19.1% a year ago, and reported diluted EPS fell to $0.39 from $0.70.

In Surgical, Implantables growth was limited in constant currency, reflecting competitive pressures in international markets and lower sales in surgical glaucoma, alongside commentary around softer cataract end markets.

Alcon raised its full-year diluted EPS growth outlook to 10%–13% and announced a new $1.5 billion share repurchase authorization over three years, but the market appeared more focused on the quarter’s reported profit deterioration.

Sources:

Alcon, SEC, Investing.com

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$ALC Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 268 institutional investors add shares of $ALC stock to their portfolio, and 312 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

PRICE T ROWE ASSOCIATES INC /MD/ removed 7,103,801 shares (-69.3%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $559,850,556
T. ROWE PRICE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INC. removed 3,570,624 shares (-73.1%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $281,400,877
BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON CORP added 2,478,144 shares (+18.8%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $186,728,150
ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN L.P. removed 2,319,749 shares (-95.1%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $182,819,418
SOUTHPOINT CAPITAL ADVISORS LP added 2,000,000 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $157,620,000
CAPITAL RESEARCH GLOBAL INVESTORS removed 1,737,317 shares (-86.2%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $136,917,952
DEUTSCHE BANK AG\ added 1,510,223 shares (+40.7%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $119,020,674

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API.

$ALC Congressional Stock Trading

Members of Congress have traded $ALC stock 1 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 1 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $ALC stock by members of Congress over the last 6 months:

REPRESENTATIVE JOSH GOTTHEIMER sold up to $15,000 on 03/12.

To track congressional stock trading, check out Quiver Quantitative's congressional trading dashboard. You can access data on congressional stock trades through the Quiver Quantitative API.

$ALC Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $ALC in the last several months. We have seen 3 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Needham issued a "Buy" rating on 05/06/2026
BTIG issued a "Buy" rating on 11/24/2025
Baird issued a "Outperform" rating on 11/13/2025

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $ALC, check out Quiver Quantitative's $ALC forecast page.

$ALC Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $ALC recently. We have seen 8 analysts offer price targets for $ALC in the last 6 months, with a median target of $94.5.

Here are some recent targets:

David Saxon from Needham set a target price of $100.0 on 05/06/2026
Ryan Zimmerman from BTIG set a target price of $92.0 on 03/23/2026
Thomas Stephan from Stifel set a target price of $82.0 on 03/09/2026
Matt Miksic from Barclays set a target price of $90.0 on 02/26/2026
Larry Biegelsen from Wells Fargo set a target price of $97.0 on 02/26/2026
Julien Ouaddour from B of A Securities set a target price of $75.0 on 12/11/2025
Jeff Johnson from Baird set a target price of $98.0 on 11/13/2025

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.