BDX vs BAX vs WST Stock Comparison

Becton Dickinson, Baxter International and West Pharmaceutical Services Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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
BAX Baxter International Inc
$25.31 +7.7% 1M +10.1% 1Y
Market cap
$13.08B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$5.55B
Div. yield
0.01%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

West Pharmaceutical Services leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (West Pharmaceutical Services 7, Becton Dickinson 3, Baxter International 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionBDXBAXWSTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $53.87B $13.08B $27.94B BDX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 57.2x -12.3x 49.5x WST
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.3x 12.8x 41.1x BAX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.4% -49.1% +12.4% BDX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.0% -19.2% 17.0% WST
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.3% 3.4% 16.9% WST
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.2x 4.8x -0.3x WST
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% BAX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +6.6% +10.1% +27.6% WST
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -4.3%/yr -21.0%/yr -1.4%/yr WST
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.8% 44.3% 31.6% WST
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 67/100 44/100 66/100 BDX

Percentile Scorecard

BDXBAXWST

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

AxisBDXBAXWST
Valuation 89 #25 of 228 83 #40 of 228 46 #123 of 228
Growth 48 #117 of 222 18 #182 of 222 40 #134 of 222
Profitability 78 #48 of 210 72 #59 of 210 91 #19 of 210
Financial Health 26 #178 of 241 18 #197 of 241 78 #55 of 241
Shareholder Returns 95 #8 of 138 27 #101 of 138 75 #35 of 138
Overall 67 44 66
  • BDX ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • BAX ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • WST 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

PeriodBDXBAXWSTSPY
1 month +8.8%+7.7%+4.3% -1.0%
3 months +27.2%+13.0%+19.5% +2.9%
6 months +30.7%+39.4%+28.1% +6.4%
Year to date +2.5%+32.4%+42.5% +11.4%
1 year +6.6%+10.1%+27.6% +13.1%
3 years -23.3%-22.3%+6.0% +79.4%
3 years, per year -8.5%-8.1%+2.0% +21.5%
5 years -19.5%-69.2%-6.9% +67.7%
5 years, per year -4.3%-21.0%-1.4% +10.9%
10 years +15.4%-47.5%+447.0% +255.2%
10 years, per year +1.4%-6.2%+18.5% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureBDXBAXWSTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.8%44.3%31.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 33.1%48.4%31.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.341.160.57 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.210.230.87 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -50.4%-82.3%-59.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -5.3%-10.7%-0.6% -2.5%
52-week high $210.02$28.35$394.30 $779.14
52-week low $140.71$15.80$230.95 $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.

MultipleBDXBAXWST
P/E now vs peer median 58.1xmedian 30.7x -12.3xmedian 30.7x 49.1xmedian 30.7x
P/S now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 3.0x 2.4xmedian 3.0x 8.3xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.1xmedian 17.7x 13.5xmedian 17.7x 31.8xmedian 17.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 16.9xmedian 23.7x 15.6xmedian 23.7x 63.2xmedian 23.7x
P/B now vs peer median 2.2xmedian 2.4x 2.1xmedian 2.4x 9.2xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median -3.98median 0.96 -0.43median 0.96 10.19median 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 monthsBDXBAXWST
Revenue $23.25B $5.55B $3.33B
Gross profit $10.91B $3.78B $1.22B
Operating income $2.48B $532.00M $680.40M
Net income $941.00M -$1.06B $564.90M
Free cash flow $3.20B $839.00M $436.90M
R&D $1.37B $542.00M $74.40M
EPS (diluted) $3.42 $-2.05 $7.92
Cash & equivalents $708.00M $2.15B $435.80M
Total debt $72.81B $9.46B $202.90M
Shares (diluted) 275.16M 518.00M 71.30M
Enterprise value $51.02B $5.21B $25.57B

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
MetricBDXBAXWST
P/E 58.1x -12.3x 49.1x
P/FCF 16.9x 15.6x 63.2x
P/Operating cash flow 13.7x 9.7x 41.7x
P/S 2.3x 2.4x 8.3x
P/B 2.2x 2.1x 9.2x
P/Tangible book 2.3x 6.1x 9.3x
EV/EBITDA 14.1x 13.5x 31.8x
EV/EBIT 28.3x 38.3x 40.2x
EV/Revenue 3.0x 3.7x 8.2x
EV/FCF 21.9x 24.3x 62.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.8x 15.2x 41.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -3.98 -0.43 10.19

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBDXBAXWST
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.4% -49.1% 12.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.9% -23.5% 5.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 23.7% -1.8% 17.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.5% -5.2% 3.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.0% -50.8% 17.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 3.3% 29.5% 1.3%
Net income growth (1Y) -40.6% -604.0% 15.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -17.3% 28.0% 2.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -38.0% -580.5% 17.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -14.6% 28.6% 4.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 43.5% 56.3% -2.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.5% -4.8% -2.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 54.2% 153.5% 27.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.5% -9.5% 3.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBDXBAXWST
Gross margin 46.9% 68.1% 36.8%
EBITDA margin 21.4% 27.3% 25.9%
Operating margin 10.7% 9.6% 20.5%
Pretax margin 8.4% 5.1% 20.8%
Net margin 4.0% -19.2% 17.0%
FCF margin 13.8% 15.1% 13.1%
Operating cash flow margin 17.0% 24.2% 19.9%
Return on equity 3.9% -17.4% 18.4%
Return on assets 1.9% -5.4% 13.4%
Return on invested capital 5.3% 3.4% 16.9%
Return on capital employed 6.0% 3.3% 19.7%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.3x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 4.2x -1.3x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 1.2% 2.1% 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBDXBAXWST
Debt / assets 33.1% 47.8% 5.0%
Debt / equity 0.7x 1.5x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.2x 4.8x -0.3x
Debt / FCF 5.2x 11.3x 0.5x
Liabilities / assets 51.9% 68.6% 26.6%
Equity / assets 48.1% 31.4% 73.4%
Interest coverage 4.2x – 151.2x
Current ratio 0.9x 1.9x 2.8x
Quick ratio 0.3x 1.1x 1.8x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.6x 0.7x
Altman Z-score 2.31 2.13 18.55

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBDXBAXWST
Dividend yield 2.1% 0.2% 0.2%
Net buyback yield 4.6% -0.2% 1.6%
Shareholder yield 6.7% 0.0% 1.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) – -17.3% 11.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 21.9% 14.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) – -60.8% 3.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -32.0% 3.8%

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.

ConsensusBDXBAXWST
Forward P/E 15.3xFY2026 12.8xFY2026 41.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.99FY2026 $1.98FY2026 $9.55FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +14.8%FY2026 -10.4%FY2026 +31.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -3.0% -3.5% +10.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $18.11BFY2026 $11.05BFY2026 $3.24BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -17.1%FY2026 -1.7%FY2026 +5.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +11.7% +11.7% +16.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBDXBAXWST
Held by institutions 96.1% 100.0% 99.5%
Institutions holding 1,442 690 833
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% +5.2% -0.9%
Institutions buying 688 359 448
Institutions selling 543 193 261
Buyers to sellers 1.27 1.86 1.72

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.

BDXBAXWST
BDX 1.00 0.39 0.26
BAX 0.39 1.00 0.26
WST 0.26 0.26 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BDX, BAX and WST?

Becton Dickinson (BDX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Becton Dickinson (BDX) $53.87B, Baxter International (BAX) $13.08B, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) $27.94B.

Which stock is cheaper, BDX, BAX and WST?

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 57.2x, Baxter International (BAX) -12.3x, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 49.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Baxter International (BAX) is cheapest (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 15.3x, Baxter International (BAX) 12.8x, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 41.1x). 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: Becton Dickinson (BDX) +17.4%, Baxter International (BAX) -49.1%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) +12.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) has the highest net margin (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 4.0%, Baxter International (BAX) -19.2%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 17.0%). On return on invested capital, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) leads (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 5.3%, Baxter International (BAX) 3.4%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 16.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) returned the most: Becton Dickinson (BDX) +6.6%, Baxter International (BAX) +10.1%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) +27.6%. Over five years, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) compounded fastest (Becton Dickinson (BDX) -4.3%/yr, Baxter International (BAX) -21.0%/yr, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) -1.4%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Baxter International (BAX) has the highest dividend yield: Becton Dickinson (BDX) 0.00%, Baxter International (BAX) 0.01%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 0.00%. Becton Dickinson (BDX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) has been the steadiest (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 31.8%, Baxter International (BAX) 44.3%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 31.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, BDX, BAX and WST?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 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.