STERIS (STE) Competitors

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

Which has better earnings and valuation, STE or BDX?

Becton, Dickinson and Company has higher revenue and earnings than STERIS. Becton, Dickinson and Company is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than STERIS, 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
STERIS	$5.46B	4.36	$614.64M	$6.53	37.05
Becton, Dickinson and Company	$20.18B	2.67	$1.71B	$5.56	33.83

Do analysts rate STE or BDX?

STERIS currently has a consensus target price of $273.50, indicating a potential upside of 13.05%. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus target price of $211.44, indicating a potential upside of 12.41%. Given STERIS's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe STERIS is more favorable than Becton, Dickinson and Company.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
STERIS	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.75
Becton, Dickinson and Company	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.36

Does the media prefer STE or BDX?

In the previous week, Becton, Dickinson and Company had 9 more articles in the media than STERIS. MarketBeat recorded 26 mentions for Becton, Dickinson and Company and 17 mentions for STERIS. Becton, Dickinson and Company's average media sentiment score of 1.41 beat STERIS's score of 1.35 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
STERIS	11 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Becton, Dickinson and Company	22 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is STE or BDX more profitable?

STERIS has a net margin of 11.61% compared to Becton, Dickinson and Company's net margin of 7.51%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's return on equity of 16.23% beat STERIS's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
STERIS	11.61%	14.17%	9.25%
Becton, Dickinson and Company	7.51%	16.23%	7.46%

Do institutionals and insiders believe in STE or BDX?

94.7% of STERIS shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.0% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of STERIS 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 endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is STE or BDX a better dividend stock?

STERIS pays an annual dividend of $2.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company pays an annual dividend of $4.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. STERIS pays out 34.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Becton, Dickinson and Company pays out 74.8% 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. STERIS has increased its dividend for 20 consecutive years and Becton, Dickinson and Company has increased its dividend for 53 consecutive years. Becton, Dickinson and Company is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has more risk and volatility, STE or BDX?

STERIS has a beta of 0.95, indicating that its share price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a beta of 0.27, indicating that its share price is 73% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

STERIS beats Becton, Dickinson and Company on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.