Sifting through countless of stocks in the Health Care Equipment & Supplies industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Align Technology, Inc. or STERIS plc because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Align Technology, Inc. and STERIS plc compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Align Technology, Inc. and STERIS plc

Align Technology, Inc. provides Invisalign clear aligners, Vivera retainers, and iTero intraoral scanners and services in the United States, Switzerland, and internationally. The company’s Clear Aligner segment offers Invisalign comprehensive package to treat adults and teens malocclusion and features, and orthodontic needs of teenage or younger patients; and Invisalign First Phase I and Invisalign First Comprehensive Phase 2 package for younger patients between the ages of six and ten years with a mixture of primary/baby and permanent teeth. This segment also provides Invisalign express, Invisalign lite, and Invisalign moderate; Invisalign Go, Invisalign Go express, and Invisalign Go Plus; retention products, Invisalign training, adjusting tools used by dental professionals during treatment, ancillary Invisalign accessory products, and other oral health products; Invisalign Professional Whitening system; Invisalign Palatal Expander, a 3D printed orthodontic device; and 3D printing solutions. Its Imaging Systems and CAD/CAM Services segment offers iTero intraoral scanning system, a single hardware platform for restorative or orthodontic procedures; exocad, a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing software; orthodontist software for digital records storage, orthodontic diagnosis, and fabrication of printed models and retainers; and restorative software for general practitioner dentists, prosthodontists, periodontists, and oral surgeons. This segment also offers Invisalign outcome simulator, a chair-side and cloud-based application for the iTero scanner; Invisalign progress assessment tool; Align Oral Health Suite, a digital interface for dental consultations; iTero TimeLapse technology for doctors or practitioners to compare a patient’s historic 3D scans to the present-day scan; and subscription software, disposables, rents scanners, and pay per scan services. Align Technology, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

STERIS plc provides infection prevention products and services in the United States, Ireland, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Healthcare, Applied Sterilization Technologies, and Life Sciences. The company offers cleaning chemistries and sterility assurance products, automated endoscope reprocessing system and tracking products, endoscopy accessories, instruments, washers, and sterilizers and other pieces of capital equipment, as well as equipment used directly in the procedure rooms, including surgical tables, lights, equipment management services, and connectivity solutions; and various preventive maintenance programs, repair services, custom process improvement consulting, and outsourced instrument sterile processing, as well as instrument, devices, and endoscope repair and maintenance services. It also provides process controls and monitoring systems, as well as integrated sterilization equipment, such as accelerators, product handling, and automation; and sterilization modalities, product development, materials testing, and process validation, as well as support services for sterilization equipment and control systems comprising installation, preventive maintenance, updates, repairs, and troubleshooting. In addition, the company offers pharmaceutical detergents, cleanroom disinfectants and sterilants, pharmaceutical grade and research sterilizers and washers, sterility assurance and maintenance products, vaporized hydrogen peroxide room decontamination systems and sterilizers, and high purity water and pure steam generators; and preventive maintenance programs and repair services to support the operation of capital equipment. It serves healthcare providers, medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, biopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, and hospitals. The company was formerly known as New STERIS Limited and changed its name to STERIS plc in November 2015. STERIS plc was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Mentor, Ohio.

Latest Health Care Equipment & Supplies and Align Technology, Inc., STERIS plc Stock News

As of September 2, 2026, Align Technology, Inc. had a $11.3 billion market capitalization, compared to the Health Care Equipment & Supplies median of $416.1 million. Align Technology, Inc.’s stock is up 3.1% in 2026, up 1.4% in the previous five trading days and up 16.03% in the past year.

Currently, Align Technology, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 27.6. Align Technology, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $4.1 billion with a 10.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 4.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $11.292 per share for the current fiscal year. Align Technology, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of September 2, 2026, STERIS plc had a $22.5 billion market cap, putting it in the 87th percentile of all stocks. STERIS plc’s stock is down 9.3% in 2026, down 1.3% in the previous five trading days and down 4.82% in the past year.

Currently, STERIS plc’s price-earnings ratio is 28.2. STERIS plc’s trailing 12-month revenue is $6.0 billion with a 13.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 7.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $11.172 per share for the current fiscal year. STERIS plc currently has a 1.2% dividend yield.

How We Compare Align Technology, Inc. and STERIS plc Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Align Technology, Inc. and STERIS plc’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

Learn more about A+ Investor here!

Sign Up to Receive a Free Special Report Showing How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Smarter Investment Decisions

Align Technology, Inc. and STERIS plc’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Align Technology, Inc.	ALGN	A
STERIS plc	STE	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Align Technology, Inc. has a Quality Score of 98, which is Very Strong. STERIS plc has a Quality Score of 93, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both Align Technology, Inc. and STERIS plc have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

Align Technology, Inc. and STERIS plc’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Align Technology, Inc.	ALGN	C
STERIS plc	STE	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Align Technology, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 50, which is Average. STERIS plc has a Momentum Score of 42, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Align Technology, Inc. or STERIS plc has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Align Technology, Inc. or STERIS plc is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Align Technology, Inc. and STERIS plc’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Align Technology, Inc.	ALGN	C
STERIS plc	STE	C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Align Technology, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 53, which is Neutral. STERIS plc has a Earnings Estimate Score of 46, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Align Technology, Inc. or STERIS plc has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Align Technology, Inc. or STERIS plc is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

Other Align Technology, Inc. and STERIS plc Grades

In addition to Quality, Estimate Revisions and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Growth.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Align Technology, Inc. and STERIS plc pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Align Technology, Inc. or STERIS plc Stock?

Overall, Align Technology, Inc. stock has a Momentum Score of 50, Estimate Revisions Score of 53 and Quality Score of 98.

STERIS plc stock has a Momentum Score of 42, Estimate Revisions Score of 46 and Quality Score of 93.

Comparing Align Technology, Inc. and STERIS plc’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.