Alcon (ALC) reported $2.48 billion in revenue for the quarter ended December 2024, representing a year-over-year increase of 6.2%. EPS of $0.72 for the same period compares to $0.70 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.46 billion, representing a surprise of +0.70%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +2.86%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.70.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Alcon performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Net sales by region- International: $1.37 billion versus $1.37 billion estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +8.1% change.
• Net sales by region- United States: $1.11 billion compared to the $1.09 billion average estimate based on two analysts.
• Net Sales- Total Surgical: $1.42 billion compared to the $1.41 billion average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +5.3% year over year.
• Net Sales- Total Vision care: $1.05 billion versus the four-analyst average estimate of $1.05 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +7.6%.
• Net Sales- Total Surgical- Consumables: $738 million versus $727.70 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +7.3% change.
• Net Sales- Total Surgical- Equipment/other: $229 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $224.83 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +1.3%.
• Net Sales- Total Vision Care- Contact lenses: $638 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $625.72 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +10.2%.
• Net Sales- Total Vision Care- Ocular health: $416 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $427.05 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +3.7%.
• Net Sales- Total Surgical- Implantables: $456 million versus $456.52 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +4.1% change.
• Revenues- Other revenues: $25 million versus $19.64 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +25% change.

View all Key Company Metrics for Alcon here>>>

Shares of Alcon have returned -2.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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