STERIS (STE) Competitors

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

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of 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 large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media prefer STE or BDX?

In the previous week, Becton, Dickinson and Company had 13 more articles in the media than STERIS. MarketBeat recorded 31 mentions for Becton, Dickinson and Company and 18 mentions for STERIS. STERIS's average media sentiment score of 1.32 beat Becton, Dickinson and Company's score of 1.27 indicating that STERIS is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
STERIS	14 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Becton, Dickinson and Company	24 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is STE or BDX a better dividend stock?

STERIS pays an annual dividend of $2.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Becton, Dickinson and Company pays an annual dividend of $4.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. STERIS pays out 48.4% 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. STERIS has raised its dividend for 20 consecutive years and Becton, Dickinson and Company has raised 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 stronger earnings & 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	$5.40B	4.09	$378.24M	$4.71	47.70
Becton, Dickinson and Company	$20.64B	2.88	$1.71B	$6.02	34.37

Which has more risk & volatility, STE or BDX?

STERIS has a beta of 0.87, meaning that its stock price is 13% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a beta of 0.35, meaning that its stock price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate STE or BDX?

STERIS presently has a consensus price target of $258.75, indicating a potential upside of 15.18%. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus price target of $272.86, indicating a potential upside of 31.89%. Given Becton, Dickinson and Company's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Becton, Dickinson and Company is more favorable than STERIS.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
STERIS	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.80
Becton, Dickinson and Company	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Is STE or BDX more profitable?

STERIS has a net margin of 8.66% compared to Becton, Dickinson and Company's net margin of 8.47%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's return on equity of 15.74% beat STERIS's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
STERIS	8.66%	13.91%	8.64%
Becton, Dickinson and Company	8.47%	15.74%	7.29%

Does the MarketBeat Community favor STE or BDX?

Becton, Dickinson and Company received 265 more outperform votes than STERIS when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 62.46% of users gave Becton, Dickinson and Company an outperform vote while only 59.16% of users gave STERIS an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
STERIS	Outperform Votes 339 59.16%	Underperform Votes 234 40.84%
Becton, Dickinson and Company	Outperform Votes 604 62.46%	Underperform Votes 363 37.54%

Summary

Becton, Dickinson and Company beats STERIS on 12 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.