BDX vs MCK vs BAX Stock Comparison

Becton Dickinson, Mckesson and Baxter International Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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BDX Becton Dickinson & Co
$198.32 +8.9% 1M +9.3% 1Y
Market cap
$54.28B
P/E
57.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$23.25B
Div. yield
–
Medical Supplies Healthcare
3 wins
MCK Mckesson Corp
$981.33 +13.5% 1M +21.5% 1Y
Market cap
$118.07B
P/E
25.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$410.98B
Div. yield
0.00%
Drug Distribution Healthcare
7 wins
BAX Baxter International Inc
$23.49 0.0% 1M +4.8% 1Y
Market cap
$11.81B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$11.61B
Div. yield
0.01%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mckesson leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Mckesson 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.

QuestionBDXMCKBAXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $54.28B $118.07B $11.81B MCK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 57.7x 25.7x -16.3x MCK
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.3x 20.8x 11.9x BAX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.4% +8.8% +5.3% BDX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.0% 1.1% -6.2% BDX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.3% 107.9% -1.4% MCK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.2x 0.6x 9.0x MCK
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% BAX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +9.3% +21.5% +4.8% MCK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -3.7%/yr +36.4%/yr -21.5%/yr MCK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.8% 30.8% 45.1% MCK
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 68/100 59/100 44/100 BDX

Percentile Scorecard

BDXMCKBAX

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

AxisBDXMCKBAX
Valuation 90 #23 of 227 54 #12 of 25 89 #25 of 227
Growth 48 #114 of 218 65 #9 of 24 14 #187 of 218
Profitability 80 #42 of 202 70 #8 of 24 66 #69 of 202
Financial Health 28 #168 of 233 48 #14 of 26 19 #189 of 233
Shareholder Returns 95 #8 of 130 60 #7 of 16 33 #87 of 130
Overall 68 59 44
  • BDX ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • MCK ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors
  • BAX 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

PeriodBDXMCKBAXSPY
1 month +8.9%+13.5%0.0% +0.7%
3 months +19.8%+13.3%-12.2% +3.7%
6 months +33.1%+20.4%+33.6% +7.1%
Year to date +2.2%+19.6%+22.9% +12.8%
1 year +9.3%+21.5%+4.8% +11.9%
3 years -21.0%+118.3%-26.7% +85.2%
3 years, per year -7.6%+29.8%-9.8% +22.8%
5 years -17.2%+372.1%-70.3% +67.6%
5 years, per year -3.7%+36.4%-21.5% +10.9%
10 years +18.2%+690.7%-50.2% +262.0%
10 years, per year +1.7%+23.0%-6.7% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureBDXMCKBAXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.8%30.8%45.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 33.1%27.4%49.5% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.33-0.281.18 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.290.700.11 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -50.4%-27.2%-82.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -5.6%-4.7%-17.1% -1.2%
52-week high $210.02$1,030.18$28.35 $779.14
52-week low $140.71$725.17$15.80 $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.

MultipleBDXMCKBAX
P/E now vs peer median 57.9xmedian 28.7x 25.4xmedian 24.3x -16.8xmedian 28.7x
P/S now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 3.0x 0.3xmedian 0.3x 1.0xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.1xmedian 17.8x 16.4xmedian 12.9x 25.6xmedian 17.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median 16.9xmedian 26.4x 17.8xmedian 16.4x 10.5xmedian 26.4x
P/B now vs peer median 2.2xmedian 2.4x -27.0xmedian 2.5x 1.9xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median -3.97median 0.99 2.12median 1.36 0.53median 0.99

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 monthsBDXMCKBAX
Revenue $23.25B $410.98B $11.61B
Gross profit $10.91B $14.96B $3.49B
Operating income $2.48B $6.50B -$221.00M
Net income $941.00M $5.30B -$723.00M
Free cash flow $3.20B $6.42B $1.16B
R&D $1.37B – $519.00M
EPS (diluted) $3.42 $38.52 $-1.39
Cash & equivalents $708.00M $5.16B $1.98B
Total debt $72.81B $9.73B $8.60B
Shares (diluted) 275.16M 119.20M 520.00M
Enterprise value $51.43B $101.97B $3.69B

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
MetricBDXMCKBAX
P/E 57.9x 25.4x -16.8x
P/FCF 16.9x 17.8x 10.5x
P/Operating cash flow 13.7x 16.7x 7.3x
P/S 2.3x 0.3x 1.0x
P/B 2.2x -27.0x 1.9x
P/Tangible book 2.3x -13.9x 4.7x
EV/EBITDA 14.1x 16.4x 25.6x
EV/EBIT 28.3x 18.3x -84.9x
EV/Revenue 3.0x 0.3x 1.6x
EV/FCF 21.9x 18.5x 16.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.7x 17.4x 11.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -3.97 2.12 0.53

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBDXMCKBAX
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.4% 8.8% 5.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.9% 13.1% 0.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 23.7% 11.2% -7.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.5% 6.6% -7.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.0% 46.6% -136.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 3.3% 13.5% 4.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -40.6% 58.1% -112.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -17.3% 10.7% -31.6%
EPS growth (1Y) -38.0% 52.8% -109.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -14.6% 12.0% -31.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 43.5% 4.7% 97.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.5% 10.7% 0.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 54.2% 6.8% 243.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.5% 11.3% -5.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBDXMCKBAX
Gross margin 46.9% 3.6% 30.1%
EBITDA margin 21.4% 1.8% 6.3%
Operating margin 10.7% 1.6% -1.9%
Pretax margin 8.4% 1.6% -1.6%
Net margin 4.0% 1.1% -6.2%
FCF margin 13.8% 1.6% 10.0%
Operating cash flow margin 17.0% 1.7% 14.3%
Return on equity 3.9% – -11.4%
Return on assets 1.9% 6.2% -3.7%
Return on invested capital 5.3% 107.9% -1.4%
Return on capital employed 6.0% 43.4% -1.4%
Asset turnover 0.5x 4.8x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 4.2x 1.3x -2.3x
Stock comp / revenue 1.2% – 0.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBDXMCKBAX
Debt / assets 33.1% 11.0% 44.3%
Debt / equity 0.7x -2.3x 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.2x 0.6x 9.0x
Debt / FCF 5.2x 1.5x 7.4x
Liabilities / assets 51.9% 104.8% 66.5%
Equity / assets 48.1% -4.8% 33.5%
Interest coverage 4.2x 23.6x –
Current ratio 0.9x 0.9x 1.8x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.5x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.1x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 2.30 5.90 2.33

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBDXMCKBAX
Dividend yield 2.1% 0.3% 0.2%
Net buyback yield 4.6% 5.8% -0.2%
Shareholder yield 6.7% 6.1% 0.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 7.4% -14.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 6.1% 8.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 11.3% -75.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 10.0% -44.1%

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.

ConsensusBDXMCKBAX
Forward P/E 15.3xFY2026 20.8xFY2026 11.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.99FY2026 $47.15FY2026 $1.98FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +14.8%FY2026 +20.6%FY2026 -10.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -2.9% +11.0% -3.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $18.11BFY2026 $444.47BFY2026 $11.05BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -17.1%FY2026 +10.2%FY2026 -1.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +11.6% +1.5% +11.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBDXMCKBAX
Held by institutions 96.1% 89.1% 100.0%
Institutions holding 1,443 2,011 691
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% -0.7% +5.2%
Institutions buying 688 883 359
Institutions selling 544 791 193
Buyers to sellers 1.26 1.12 1.86

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.

BDXMCKBAX
BDX 1.00 0.25 0.39
MCK 0.25 1.00 0.18
BAX 0.39 0.18 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BDX, MCK and BAX?

Mckesson (MCK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Becton Dickinson (BDX) $54.28B, Mckesson (MCK) $118.07B, Baxter International (BAX) $11.81B.

Which stock is cheaper, BDX, MCK and BAX?

Mckesson (MCK) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 57.7x, Mckesson (MCK) 25.7x, Baxter International (BAX) -16.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Baxter International (BAX) is cheapest (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 15.3x, Mckesson (MCK) 20.8x, Baxter International (BAX) 11.9x). 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%, Mckesson (MCK) +8.8%, Baxter International (BAX) +5.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Becton Dickinson (BDX) has the highest net margin (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 4.0%, Mckesson (MCK) 1.1%, Baxter International (BAX) -6.2%). On return on invested capital, Mckesson (MCK) leads (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 5.3%, Mckesson (MCK) 107.9%, Baxter International (BAX) -1.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Mckesson (MCK) returned the most: Becton Dickinson (BDX) +9.3%, Mckesson (MCK) +21.5%, Baxter International (BAX) +4.8%. Over five years, Mckesson (MCK) compounded fastest (Becton Dickinson (BDX) -3.7%/yr, Mckesson (MCK) +36.4%/yr, Baxter International (BAX) -21.5%/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%, Mckesson (MCK) 0.00%, Baxter International (BAX) 0.01%. Becton Dickinson (BDX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mckesson (MCK) has been the steadiest (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 31.8%, Mckesson (MCK) 30.8%, Baxter International (BAX) 45.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 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.