Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) Competitors

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) and Cooper Companies (NASDAQ:COO) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, media sentiment, profitability, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership and earnings.

Which has more risk and volatility, BDX or COO?

Becton, Dickinson and Company has a beta of 0.25, indicating that its share price is 75% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cooper Companies has a beta of 0.99, indicating that its share price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is BDX or COO more profitable?

Cooper Companies has a net margin of 10.39% compared to Becton, Dickinson and Company's net margin of 7.28%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's return on equity of 15.99% beat Cooper Companies' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Becton, Dickinson and Company	7.28%	15.99%	7.36%
Cooper Companies	10.39%	9.60%	6.35%

Which has better earnings and valuation, BDX or COO?

Becton, Dickinson and Company has higher revenue and earnings than Cooper Companies. Becton, Dickinson and Company is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cooper Companies, 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	2.53	$1.71B	$5.24	34.03
Cooper Companies	$3.90B	3.73	$392.30M	$2.06	35.27

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of BDX or COO?

87.0% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 24.4% of Cooper Companies shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.4% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.0% of Cooper Companies shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Do analysts recommend BDX or COO?

Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus target price of $219.22, suggesting a potential upside of 22.94%. Cooper Companies has a consensus target price of $97.20, suggesting a potential upside of 33.80%. Given Cooper Companies' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Cooper Companies 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)	7 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.36
Cooper Companies	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.73

Does the media refer more to BDX or COO?

In the previous week, Becton, Dickinson and Company had 11 more articles in the media than Cooper Companies. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Becton, Dickinson and Company and 19 mentions for Cooper Companies. Becton, Dickinson and Company's average media sentiment score of 0.86 beat Cooper Companies' score of 0.85 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	13 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Cooper Companies	10 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Summary

Becton, Dickinson and Company and Cooper Companies tied by winning 8 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.