Baxter International (BAX) Competitors

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

Which has better earnings and valuation, BAX or BDX?

Becton, Dickinson and Company has higher revenue and earnings than Baxter International. Baxter International 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
Baxter International	$10.64B	1.50	-$649M	-$1.28	-24.38
Becton, Dickinson and Company	$20.64B	2.88	$1.71B	$6.02	34.37

Is BAX or BDX more profitable?

Becton, Dickinson and Company has a net margin of 8.47% compared to Baxter International's net margin of -5.05%. Baxter International's return on equity of 16.67% beat Becton, Dickinson and Company's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Baxter International	-5.05%	16.67%	4.93%
Becton, Dickinson and Company	8.47%	15.74%	7.29%

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

90.2% of Baxter International shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.0% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Baxter International shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer BAX or BDX?

Baxter International received 133 more outperform votes than Becton, Dickinson and Company when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 65.69% of users gave Baxter International an outperform vote while only 62.46% of users gave Becton, Dickinson and Company an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Baxter International	Outperform Votes 737 65.69%	Underperform Votes 385 34.31%
Becton, Dickinson and Company	Outperform Votes 604 62.46%	Underperform Votes 363 37.54%

Which has more volatility & risk, BAX or BDX?

Baxter International has a beta of 0.64, suggesting that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a beta of 0.35, suggesting that its share price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media favor BAX or BDX?

In the previous week, Becton, Dickinson and Company had 25 more articles in the media than Baxter International. MarketBeat recorded 34 mentions for Becton, Dickinson and Company and 9 mentions for Baxter International. Becton, Dickinson and Company's average media sentiment score of 1.33 beat Baxter International's score of 0.57 indicating that Becton, Dickinson and Company is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Baxter International	4 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Becton, Dickinson and Company	22 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is BAX or BDX a better dividend stock?

Baxter International pays an annual dividend of $0.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company pays an annual dividend of $4.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Baxter International pays out -53.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Becton, Dickinson and Company pays out 69.1% 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. Baxter International is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Do analysts rate BAX or BDX?

Baxter International presently has a consensus price target of $38.56, suggesting a potential upside of 23.58%. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus price target of $272.86, suggesting a potential upside of 31.89%. Given Becton, Dickinson and Company's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Becton, Dickinson and Company is more favorable than Baxter International.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Baxter International	1 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.40
Becton, Dickinson and Company	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Summary

Becton, Dickinson and Company beats Baxter International on 14 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.