Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) Competitors

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

Do analysts rate ABT or BDX?

Abbott Laboratories currently has a consensus target price of $131.57, suggesting a potential upside of 15.97%. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus target price of $283.50, suggesting a potential upside of 19.33%. Given Becton, Dickinson and Company's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Becton, Dickinson and Company is more favorable than Abbott Laboratories.

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

Does the media refer more to ABT or BDX?

In the previous week, Abbott Laboratories had 41 more articles in the media than Becton, Dickinson and Company. MarketBeat recorded 71 mentions for Abbott Laboratories and 30 mentions for Becton, Dickinson and Company. Abbott Laboratories' average media sentiment score of 1.32 beat Becton, Dickinson and Company's score of 0.81 indicating that Abbott Laboratories is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Abbott Laboratories	58 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Becton, Dickinson and Company	17 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	10 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is ABT or BDX a better dividend stock?

Abbott Laboratories pays an annual dividend of $2.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company pays an annual dividend of $4.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Abbott Laboratories pays out 66.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Becton, Dickinson and Company pays out 70.0% 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. Abbott Laboratories is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of ABT or BDX?

75.2% of Abbott Laboratories shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.0% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of Abbott Laboratories shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is ABT or BDX 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
Abbott Laboratories	13.99%	20.18%	10.84%
Becton, Dickinson and Company	8.55%	14.89%	6.98%

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer ABT or BDX?

Abbott Laboratories received 338 more outperform votes than Becton, Dickinson and Company when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 69.72% 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
Abbott Laboratories	Outperform Votes 935 69.72%	Underperform Votes 406 30.28%
Becton, Dickinson and Company	Outperform Votes 597 62.32%	Underperform Votes 361 37.68%

Which has more risk and volatility, ABT or BDX?

Abbott Laboratories has a beta of 0.73, suggesting that its stock price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a beta of 0.39, suggesting that its stock price is 61% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, ABT or BDX?

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
Abbott Laboratories	$40.11B	4.91	$5.72B	$3.29	34.48
Becton, Dickinson and Company	$20.18B	3.41	$1.71B	$5.94	40.00

Summary

Abbott Laboratories beats Becton, Dickinson and Company on 15 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.