ACU vs BDX vs STVN Stock Comparison

Acme United, Becton Dickinson and Stevanato Group S.p.A Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ACU Acme United Corp
$63.19 +0.9% 1M +62.7% 1Y
Market cap
$243.68M
P/E
24.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$211.60M
Div. yield
–
Medical Supplies Healthcare
7 wins
BDX Becton Dickinson & Co
$198.85 +8.8% 1M +6.6% 1Y
Market cap
$53.87B
P/E
57.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$23.25B
Div. yield
–
Medical Supplies Healthcare
3 wins
STVN Stevanato Group S.p.A.
$19.53 -9.9% 1M -29.3% 1Y
Market cap
$5.41B
P/E
34.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.43B
Div. yield
–
Medical Supplies Healthcare
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Acme United leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Acme United 7, Becton Dickinson 3, Stevanato Group S.p.A 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionACUBDXSTVNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $243.68M $53.87B $5.41B BDX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 24.8x 57.2x 34.5x ACU
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.0x 15.3x 29.6x BDX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.0% +17.4% +14.8% BDX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.6% 4.0% 11.0% STVN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 7.3% 5.3% 7.2% ACU
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 3.2x 1.2x ACU
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +62.7% +6.6% -29.3% ACU
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +10.8%/yr -4.3%/yr -4.7%/yr ACU
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.5% 31.8% 45.8% ACU
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 67/100 66/100 ACU

Percentile Scorecard

ACUBDXSTVN

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisACUBDXSTVN
Valuation 95 #12 of 228 89 #25 of 228 81 #45 of 228
Growth 59 #91 of 222 48 #117 of 222 58 #95 of 222
Profitability 79 #44 of 210 78 #48 of 210 81 #40 of 210
Financial Health 57 #105 of 241 26 #178 of 241 72 #68 of 241
Shareholder Returns 63 #52 of 138 95 #8 of 138 41 #82 of 138
Overall 71 67 66
  • ACU ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • BDX ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • STVN ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodACUBDXSTVNSPY
1 month +0.9%+8.8%-9.9% -1.0%
3 months +16.6%+27.2%-1.0% +2.9%
6 months +49.0%+30.7%+20.7% +6.4%
Year to date +56.8%+2.5%-2.9% +11.4%
1 year +62.7%+6.6%-29.3% +13.1%
3 years +110.8%-23.3%-40.1% +79.4%
3 years, per year +28.3%-8.5%-15.7% +21.5%
5 years +67.1%-19.5%-21.5% +67.7%
5 years, per year +10.8%-4.3%-4.7% +10.9%
10 years +206.7%+15.4%— +255.2%
10 years, per year +11.9%+1.4%— +13.5%

Risk

MeasureACUBDXSTVNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.5%31.8%45.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 24.1%33.1%45.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.220.341.08 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.050.21-0.64 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -43.5%-50.4%-62.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -1.0%-5.3%-29.3% -2.5%
52-week high $63.85$210.02$27.61 $779.14
52-week low $35.50$140.71$13.43 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleACUBDXSTVN
P/E now vs peer median 24.6xmedian 30.7x 58.1xmedian 30.7x 34.0xmedian 30.7x
P/S now vs peer median 1.1xmedian 3.0x 2.3xmedian 3.0x 4.1xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.9xmedian 17.7x 14.1xmedian 17.7x 18.3xmedian 17.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.6xmedian 23.7x 16.9xmedian 23.7x 10.0xmedian 23.7x
P/B now vs peer median 2.0xmedian 2.4x 2.2xmedian 2.4x 3.3xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median 0.83median 0.96 -3.98median 0.96 -126.62median 0.96

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsACUBDXSTVN
Revenue $211.60M $23.25B $1.43B
Gross profit $84.82M $10.91B $416.82M
Operating income $14.48M $2.48B $233.97M
Net income $9.82M $941.00M $157.06M
Free cash flow $15.48M $3.20B $592.88M
R&D – $1.37B $29.75M
EPS (diluted) $2.37 $3.42 $0.58
Cash & equivalents $5.04M $708.00M $89.82M
Total debt $125.18M $72.81B $2.11B
Shares (diluted) 4.14M 275.16M 272.96M
Enterprise value $225.70M $51.02B $4.86B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricACUBDXSTVN
P/E 24.6x 58.1x 34.0x
P/FCF 15.6x 16.9x 10.0x
P/Operating cash flow 9.3x 13.7x 20.4x
P/S 1.1x 2.3x 4.1x
P/B 2.0x 2.2x 3.3x
P/Tangible book 2.7x 2.3x 3.4x
EV/EBITDA 10.9x 14.1x 18.3x
EV/EBIT 18.6x 28.3x 27.0x
EV/Revenue 1.3x 3.0x 4.4x
EV/FCF 17.4x 21.9x 10.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 10.3x 17.8x 21.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.83 -3.98 -126.62

Growth

14 metrics
MetricACUBDXSTVN
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.0% 17.4% 14.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.1% 6.9% 9.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.0% 23.7% 19.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.5% 8.5% 6.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 3.3% 13.0% 17.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 20.1% 3.3% 4.5%
Net income growth (1Y) -5.1% -40.6% 7.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 36.0% -17.3% 0.8%
EPS growth (1Y) -5.9% -38.0% 6.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 29.7% -14.6% -0.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 43.2% 43.5% 30.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.0% 14.5% 32.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 26.7% 54.2% 17.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.5% 22.5% 8.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricACUBDXSTVN
Gross margin 40.1% 46.9% 29.2%
EBITDA margin 11.7% 21.4% 24.1%
Operating margin 6.8% 10.7% 16.4%
Pretax margin 5.9% 8.4% 15.7%
Net margin 4.6% 4.0% 11.0%
FCF margin 7.3% 13.8% 41.5%
Operating cash flow margin 12.3% 17.0% 20.3%
Return on equity 8.2% 3.9% 8.9%
Return on assets 5.0% 1.9% 5.3%
Return on invested capital 7.3% 5.3% 7.2%
Return on capital employed 8.9% 6.0% –
Asset turnover 1.1x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.7x 4.2x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue 0.9% 1.2% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricACUBDXSTVN
Debt / assets 16.1% 33.1% 17.0%
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.7x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 3.2x 1.2x
Debt / FCF 2.1x 5.2x 0.9x
Liabilities / assets 39.5% 51.9% 40.8%
Equity / assets 60.5% 48.1% 59.2%
Interest coverage – 4.2x 14.9x
Current ratio 3.2x 0.9x –
Quick ratio 1.3x 0.3x –
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.1x –
Altman Z-score 4.34 2.31 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricACUBDXSTVN
Dividend yield 1.0% 2.1% 0.3%
Net buyback yield -0.2% 4.6% –
Shareholder yield 0.8% 6.7% 0.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusACUBDXSTVN
Forward P/E 23.0xFY2026 15.3xFY2026 29.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.75FY2026 $12.99FY2026 $0.66FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +10.4%FY2026 +14.8%FY2026 +4.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +4.0% -3.0% +15.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $217.65MFY2026 $18.11BFY2026 $1.46BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.7%FY2026 -17.1%FY2026 +5.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.7% +11.7% +10.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersACUBDXSTVN
Held by institutions 73.5% 96.1% 16.4%
Institutions holding 84 1,442 126
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.3% +0.6% +0.4%
Institutions buying 47 688 61
Institutions selling 21 543 52
Buyers to sellers 2.24 1.27 1.17

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ACUBDXSTVN
ACU 1.00 0.20 0.21
BDX 0.20 1.00 0.22
STVN 0.21 0.22 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ACU, BDX and STVN?

Becton Dickinson (BDX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Acme United (ACU) $243.68M, Becton Dickinson (BDX) $53.87B, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) $5.41B.

Which stock is cheaper, ACU, BDX and STVN?

Acme United (ACU) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Acme United (ACU) 24.8x, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 57.2x, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) 34.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Becton Dickinson (BDX) is cheapest (Acme United (ACU) 23.0x, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 15.3x, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) 29.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Becton Dickinson (BDX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Acme United (ACU) +9.0%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) +17.4%, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) +14.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) has the highest net margin (Acme United (ACU) 4.6%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 4.0%, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) 11.0%). On return on invested capital, Acme United (ACU) leads (Acme United (ACU) 7.3%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 5.3%, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) 7.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Acme United (ACU) returned the most: Acme United (ACU) +62.7%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) +6.6%, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) -29.3%. Over five years, Acme United (ACU) compounded fastest (Acme United (ACU) +10.8%/yr, Becton Dickinson (BDX) -4.3%/yr, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) -4.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Acme United (ACU) has been the steadiest (Acme United (ACU) 30.5%, Becton Dickinson (BDX) 31.8%, Stevanato Group S.p.A (STVN) 45.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ACU, BDX and STVN?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Acme United (ACU) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.