Baxter International (BAX) Competitors

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) and Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, risk, community ranking, media sentiment and valuation.

Which has more risk and volatility, BDX or BAX?

Becton, Dickinson and Company has a beta of 0.43, meaning that its share price is 57% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Baxter International has a beta of 0.6, meaning that its share price is 40% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in BDX or BAX?

87.0% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.2% of Baxter International shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Baxter International shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, BDX or BAX?

Baxter International has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Becton, Dickinson and Company. Becton, Dickinson and Company is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Baxter International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Becton, Dickinson and Company	$20.18B	3.31	$1.73B	$5.94	38.93
Baxter International	$14.81B	1.12	$2.66B	$0.20	163.21

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer BDX or BAX?

Baxter International received 136 more outperform votes than Becton, Dickinson and Company when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 65.68% of users gave Baxter International an outperform vote while only 62.38% of users gave Becton, Dickinson and Company an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Becton, Dickinson and Company	Outperform Votes 597 62.38%	Underperform Votes 360 37.62%
Baxter International	Outperform Votes 733 65.68%	Underperform Votes 383 34.32%

Do analysts rate BDX or BAX?

Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus target price of $283.00, indicating a potential upside of 22.37%. Baxter International has a consensus target price of $40.91, indicating a potential upside of 25.33%. Given Baxter International's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Baxter International is more favorable than Becton, Dickinson and Company.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Becton, Dickinson and Company	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Baxter International	1 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.18

Does the media favor BDX or BAX?

In the previous week, Becton, Dickinson and Company had 13 more articles in the media than Baxter International. MarketBeat recorded 45 mentions for Becton, Dickinson and Company and 32 mentions for Baxter International. Becton, Dickinson and Company's average media sentiment score of 0.83 beat Baxter International's score of 0.24 indicating that Becton, Dickinson and Company is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Becton, Dickinson and Company	21 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	14 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Baxter International	4 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	14 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Is BDX or BAX more profitable?

Becton, Dickinson and Company has a net margin of 8.55% compared to Baxter International's net margin of 0.77%. Baxter International's return on equity of 18.19% beat Becton, Dickinson and Company's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Becton, Dickinson and Company	8.55%	14.89%	6.98%
Baxter International	0.77%	18.19%	5.39%

Is BDX or BAX a better dividend stock?

Becton, Dickinson and Company pays an annual dividend of $3.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Baxter International pays an annual dividend of $1.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Becton, Dickinson and Company pays out 64.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Baxter International pays out 580.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Becton, Dickinson and Company has increased its dividend for 53 consecutive years.

Summary

Becton, Dickinson and Company beats Baxter International on 12 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.