BAX vs MCK vs ACU Stock Comparison

Baxter International, Mckesson and Acme United Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
1 more company in this comparison (MDLN) Create a free account to keep reading and compare up to 10 companies.
BAX Baxter International Inc
$24.22 +3.1% 1M +31.1% 1Y
Market cap
$12.53B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$11.61B
Div. yield
0.17%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
1 win
MCK Mckesson Corp
$998.79 +10.6% 1M +23.1% 1Y
Market cap
$116.45B
P/E
25.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$410.98B
Div. yield
0.34%
Drug Distribution Healthcare
6 wins
ACU Acme United Corp
$68.99 +8.5% 1M +81.5% 1Y
Market cap
$264.50M
P/E
26.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$211.60M
Div. yield
0.93%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
5 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mckesson leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Mckesson 6, Acme United 5, Baxter International 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionBAXMCKACULeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $12.53B $116.45B $264.50M MCK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -17.3x 25.8x 26.8x MCK
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 12.2x 21.2x 25.1x BAX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.3% +8.8% +9.0% ACU
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -6.2% 1.1% 4.6% ACU
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -1.4% 107.9% 7.3% MCK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 9.0x 0.6x 1.1x MCK
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.17% 0.34% 0.93% ACU
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +31.1% +23.1% +81.5% ACU
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -21.3%/yr +34.8%/yr +12.9%/yr MCK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 42.5% 30.8% 30.8% MCK
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 44/100 60/100 70/100 ACU

Percentile Scorecard

BAXMCKACU

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

AxisBAXMCKACU
Valuation 88 #29 of 227 50 #13 of 25 94 #14 of 227
Growth 14 #189 of 220 65 #9 of 24 58 #93 of 220
Profitability 65 #73 of 209 70 #8 of 24 81 #41 of 209
Financial Health 18 #198 of 240 48 #14 of 26 57 #104 of 240
Shareholder Returns 34 #91 of 138 69 #6 of 17 58 #58 of 138
Overall 44 60 70
  • BAX ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • MCK ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors
  • ACU ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodBAXMCKACUSPY
1 month +3.1%+10.6%+8.5% -2.3%
3 months -13.8%+21.1%+19.8% -0.7%
6 months +45.7%+23.6%+68.9% +4.8%
Year to date +26.7%+21.8%+71.1% +10.3%
1 year +31.1%+23.1%+81.5% +10.3%
3 years -28.7%+120.6%+108.5% +73.0%
3 years, per year -10.7%+30.2%+27.8% +20.1%
5 years -69.7%+345.4%+83.6% +61.9%
5 years, per year -21.3%+34.8%+12.9% +10.1%
10 years -48.2%+635.3%+220.9% +258.6%
10 years, per year -6.4%+22.1%+12.4% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureBAXMCKACUSPY
Volatility, 1Y 42.5%30.8%30.8% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 44.1%27.4%24.5% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.07-0.270.23 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.730.752.65 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -82.3%-27.2%-42.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.6%-3.0%0.0% -3.5%
52-week high $28.35$1,030.18$68.99 $779.14
52-week low $15.80$725.17$35.50 $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.

MultipleBAXMCKACU
P/E now vs peer median -17.3xmedian 28.4x 25.8xmedian 24.6x 26.8xmedian 28.4x
P/S now vs peer median 1.1xmedian 3.0x 0.3xmedian 0.3x 1.2xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 26.1xmedian 18.0x 16.7xmedian 13.2x 11.8xmedian 18.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 10.8xmedian 25.0x 18.1xmedian 16.5x 17.1xmedian 25.0x
P/B now vs peer median 1.9xmedian 2.3x -27.5xmedian 2.5x 2.2xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.55median 0.93 2.16median 1.39 0.90median 0.93

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 monthsBAXMCKACU
Revenue $11.61B $410.98B $211.60M
Gross profit $3.49B $14.96B $84.82M
Operating income -$221.00M $6.50B $14.48M
Net income -$723.00M $5.30B $9.82M
Free cash flow $1.16B $6.42B $15.48M
R&D $519.00M – –
EPS (diluted) $-1.39 $38.52 $2.37
Cash & equivalents $1.98B $5.16B $5.04M
Total debt $8.60B $9.73B $32.33M
Shares (diluted) 520.00M 119.20M 4.14M
Enterprise value $4.38B $102.91B $246.52M

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
MetricBAXMCKACU
P/E -17.3x 25.8x 26.8x
P/FCF 10.8x 18.1x 17.1x
P/Operating cash flow 7.5x 17.0x 10.1x
P/S 1.1x 0.3x 1.2x
P/B 1.9x -27.5x 2.2x
P/Tangible book 4.9x -14.1x 3.0x
EV/EBITDA 26.1x 16.7x 11.8x
EV/EBIT -86.7x 18.6x 20.1x
EV/Revenue 1.6x 0.3x 1.4x
EV/FCF 16.5x 18.9x 18.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.5x 17.7x 11.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.55 2.16 0.90

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBAXMCKACU
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.3% 8.8% 9.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 0.7% 13.1% 3.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -7.1% 11.2% 11.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -7.7% 6.6% 8.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -136.3% 46.6% 3.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 4.2% 13.5% 20.1%
Net income growth (1Y) -112.0% 58.1% -5.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -31.6% 10.7% 36.0%
EPS growth (1Y) -109.6% 52.8% -5.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -31.5% 12.0% 29.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 97.4% 4.7% 43.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 0.6% 10.7% 12.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 243.5% 6.8% 26.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -5.0% 11.3% 1.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBAXMCKACU
Gross margin 30.1% 3.6% 40.1%
EBITDA margin 6.3% 1.8% 11.7%
Operating margin -1.9% 1.6% 6.8%
Pretax margin -1.6% 1.6% 5.9%
Net margin -6.2% 1.1% 4.6%
FCF margin 10.0% 1.6% 7.3%
Operating cash flow margin 14.3% 1.7% 12.3%
Return on equity -11.4% – 8.2%
Return on assets -3.7% 6.2% 5.0%
Return on invested capital -1.4% 107.9% 7.3%
Return on capital employed -1.4% 43.4% 8.9%
Asset turnover 0.6x 4.8x 1.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -2.3x 1.3x 2.7x
Stock comp / revenue 0.9% – 0.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBAXMCKACU
Debt / assets 44.3% 11.0% 16.1%
Debt / equity 1.3x -2.3x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 9.0x 0.6x 1.1x
Debt / FCF 7.4x 1.5x 2.1x
Liabilities / assets 66.5% 104.8% 39.5%
Equity / assets 33.5% -4.8% 60.5%
Interest coverage – 23.6x –
Current ratio 1.8x 0.9x 3.2x
Quick ratio 1.0x 0.5x 1.3x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.1x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 2.35 5.91 4.50

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBAXMCKACU
Dividend yield 0.2% 0.3% 0.9%
Net buyback yield -0.2% 5.7% -0.2%
Shareholder yield 0.0% 6.0% 0.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) -14.1% 7.4% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 8.8% 6.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) -75.0% 11.3% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -44.1% 10.0% –

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.

ConsensusBAXMCKACU
Forward P/E 12.2xFY2026 21.2xFY2026 25.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.98FY2026 $47.15FY2026 $2.75FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -10.4%FY2026 +20.6%FY2026 +10.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -3.5% +11.0% +4.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $11.05BFY2026 $444.47BFY2026 $217.65MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -1.7%FY2026 +10.2%FY2026 +10.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +11.7% +1.5% +0.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBAXMCKACU
Held by institutions 100.0% 89.1% 73.5%
Institutions holding 692 2,012 84
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.2% -0.7% +1.3%
Institutions buying 359 883 47
Institutions selling 194 792 21
Buyers to sellers 1.85 1.11 2.24

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.

BAXMCKACU
BAX 1.00 0.18 0.17
MCK 0.18 1.00 0.11
ACU 0.17 0.11 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BAX, MCK and ACU?

Mckesson (MCK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Baxter International (BAX) $12.53B, Mckesson (MCK) $116.45B, Acme United (ACU) $264.50M.

Which stock is cheaper, BAX, MCK and ACU?

Mckesson (MCK) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Baxter International (BAX) -17.3x, Mckesson (MCK) 25.8x, Acme United (ACU) 26.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Baxter International (BAX) is cheapest (Baxter International (BAX) 12.2x, Mckesson (MCK) 21.2x, Acme United (ACU) 25.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Acme United (ACU) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Baxter International (BAX) +5.3%, Mckesson (MCK) +8.8%, Acme United (ACU) +9.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Acme United (ACU) has the highest net margin (Baxter International (BAX) -6.2%, Mckesson (MCK) 1.1%, Acme United (ACU) 4.6%). On return on invested capital, Mckesson (MCK) leads (Baxter International (BAX) -1.4%, Mckesson (MCK) 107.9%, Acme United (ACU) 7.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Acme United (ACU) returned the most: Baxter International (BAX) +31.1%, Mckesson (MCK) +23.1%, Acme United (ACU) +81.5%. Over five years, Mckesson (MCK) compounded fastest (Baxter International (BAX) -21.3%/yr, Mckesson (MCK) +34.8%/yr, Acme United (ACU) +12.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Acme United (ACU) has the highest dividend yield: Baxter International (BAX) 0.17%, Mckesson (MCK) 0.34%, Acme United (ACU) 0.93%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mckesson (MCK) has been the steadiest (Baxter International (BAX) 42.5%, Mckesson (MCK) 30.8%, Acme United (ACU) 30.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, BAX, MCK and ACU?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Mckesson (MCK) leads on 6. 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.