Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) Competitors

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

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in BDX or ABT?

87.0% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.2% of Abbott Laboratories shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of Abbott Laboratories shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media favor BDX or ABT?

In the previous week, Becton, Dickinson and Company had 12 more articles in the media than Abbott Laboratories. MarketBeat recorded 27 mentions for Becton, Dickinson and Company and 15 mentions for Abbott Laboratories. Abbott Laboratories' average media sentiment score of 0.84 beat Becton, Dickinson and Company's score of 0.26 indicating that Abbott Laboratories is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Becton, Dickinson and Company	6 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Abbott Laboratories	9 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more risk and volatility, BDX or ABT?

Becton, Dickinson and Company has a beta of 0.41, meaning that its stock price is 59% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Abbott Laboratories has a beta of 0.73, meaning that its stock price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer BDX or ABT?

Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus target price of $283.50, indicating a potential upside of 24.52%. Abbott Laboratories has a consensus target price of $130.71, indicating a potential upside of 14.43%. Given Becton, Dickinson and Company's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Becton, Dickinson and Company is more favorable than Abbott Laboratories.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Becton, Dickinson and Company	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Abbott Laboratories	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	11 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.73

Is BDX or ABT more profitable?

Abbott Laboratories has a net margin of 13.99% compared to Becton, Dickinson and Company's net margin of 8.55%. Abbott Laboratories' return on equity of 20.18% 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%
Abbott Laboratories	13.99%	20.18%	10.84%

Is BDX or ABT a better dividend stock?

Becton, Dickinson and Company pays an annual dividend of $4.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Abbott Laboratories pays an annual dividend of $2.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company pays out 70.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Abbott Laboratories pays out 71.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Becton, Dickinson and Company has raised its dividend for 53 consecutive years and Abbott Laboratories has raised its dividend for 53 consecutive years.

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer BDX or ABT?

Abbott Laboratories received 337 more outperform votes than Becton, Dickinson and Company when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 69.70% of users gave Abbott Laboratories an outperform vote while only 62.32% of users gave Becton, Dickinson and Company an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Becton, Dickinson and Company	Outperform Votes 597 62.32%	Underperform Votes 361 37.68%
Abbott Laboratories	Outperform Votes 934 69.70%	Underperform Votes 406 30.30%

Which has higher earnings & valuation, BDX or ABT?

Abbott Laboratories has higher revenue and earnings than Becton, Dickinson and Company. Abbott Laboratories is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Becton, Dickinson and Company, 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	3.26	$1.71B	$5.94	38.33
Abbott Laboratories	$41.22B	4.81	$5.72B	$3.29	34.72

Summary

Abbott Laboratories beats Becton, Dickinson and Company on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.