BDX vs STE vs BAX Stock Comparison

Becton Dickinson, Steris and Baxter International Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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BDX Becton Dickinson & Co
$195.18 +6.1% 1M +6.0% 1Y
Market cap
$53.16B
P/E
57.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$23.25B
Div. yield
2.15%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
3 wins
STE STERIS plc
$228.75 +8.4% 1M -5.2% 1Y
Market cap
$22.30B
P/E
27.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.04B
Div. yield
1.13%
Medical Devices Healthcare
7 wins
BAX Baxter International Inc
$25.49 +8.5% 1M +11.5% 1Y
Market cap
$13.18B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$5.55B
Div. yield
0.16%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionBDXSTEBAXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $53.16B $22.30B $13.18B BDX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 57.0x 27.7x -12.4x STE
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.0x 19.8x 12.9x BAX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.4% +8.4% -49.1% BDX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.0% 13.3% -19.2% STE
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.3% 9.3% 3.4% STE
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.2x 0.9x 4.8x STE
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.15% 1.13% 0.16% BDX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +6.0% -5.2% +11.5% BAX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -4.0%/yr -0.4%/yr -20.3%/yr STE
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 31.8% 26.2% 44.4% STE
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 68/100 76/100 45/100 STE

Percentile Scorecard

BDXSTEBAX

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

AxisBDXSTEBAX
Valuation 90 #23 of 227 84 #37 of 227 83 #39 of 227
Growth 48 #115 of 219 72 #63 of 219 21 #174 of 219
Profitability 78 #45 of 205 87 #28 of 205 73 #56 of 205
Financial Health 27 #173 of 237 63 #89 of 237 19 #192 of 237
Shareholder Returns 96 #7 of 135 73 #37 of 135 29 #96 of 135
Overall 68 76 45
  • BDX ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • STE ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • 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

PeriodBDXSTEBAXSPY
1 month +6.1%+8.4%+8.5% +0.9%
3 months +15.9%-2.6%+2.9% +5.9%
6 months +34.3%+7.6%+50.8% +8.5%
Year to date +0.6%-9.8%+33.4% +13.3%
1 year +6.0%-5.2%+11.5% +12.4%
3 years -22.4%+9.2%-20.7% +88.1%
3 years, per year -8.1%+3.0%-7.5% +23.5%
5 years -18.5%-2.1%-67.7% +68.2%
5 years, per year -4.0%-0.4%-20.3% +11.0%
10 years +16.3%+241.8%-46.0% +263.4%
10 years, per year +1.5%+13.1%-6.0% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureBDXSTEBAXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.8%26.2%44.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 33.1%25.6%48.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.340.401.16 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.19-0.200.26 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -50.4%-36.5%-82.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -7.1%-14.9%-10.1% -0.9%
52-week high $210.02$268.65$28.35 $779.14
52-week low $140.71$199.40$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.

MultipleBDXSTEBAX
P/E now vs peer median 57.0xmedian 28.8x 27.7xmedian 28.8x -12.4xmedian 28.8x
P/S now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 3.0x 3.7xmedian 3.0x 2.4xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.9xmedian 17.4x 14.5xmedian 17.4x 13.5xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 16.6xmedian 25.7x 24.1xmedian 25.7x 15.7xmedian 25.7x
P/B now vs peer median 2.2xmedian 2.4x 3.1xmedian 2.4x 2.1xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median -3.90median 1.03 0.31median 1.03 -0.43median 1.03

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 monthsBDXSTEBAX
Revenue $23.25B $6.04B $5.55B
Gross profit $10.91B $2.68B $3.78B
Operating income $2.48B $1.14B $532.00M
Net income $941.00M $808.10M -$1.06B
Free cash flow $3.20B $925.60M $839.00M
R&D $1.37B $115.10M $542.00M
EPS (diluted) $3.42 $8.22 $-2.05
Cash & equivalents $708.00M $482.30M $2.15B
Total debt $72.81B $1.89B $9.46B
Shares (diluted) 275.16M 97.90M 518.00M
Enterprise value $50.31B $20.65B $5.28B

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
MetricBDXSTEBAX
P/E 57.0x 27.7x -12.4x
P/FCF 16.6x 24.1x 15.7x
P/Operating cash flow 13.4x 17.3x 9.8x
P/S 2.3x 3.7x 2.4x
P/B 2.2x 3.1x 2.1x
P/Tangible book 2.2x 3.9x 6.2x
EV/EBITDA 13.9x 14.5x 13.5x
EV/EBIT 27.9x 20.8x 38.5x
EV/Revenue 3.0x 3.9x 3.7x
EV/FCF 21.6x 25.6x 24.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.5x 18.4x 15.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -3.90 0.31 -0.43

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBDXSTEBAX
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.4% 8.4% -49.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 6.9% 9.0% -23.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 23.7% 9.1% -1.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.5% 9.6% -5.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 13.0% 23.1% -50.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 3.3% 11.2% 29.5%
Net income growth (1Y) -40.6% 24.6% -604.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -17.3% 89.1% 28.0%
EPS growth (1Y) -38.0% 25.7% -580.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -14.6% 89.8% 28.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 43.5% 1.9% 56.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.5% 16.9% -4.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 54.2% 1.8% 153.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.5% 23.3% -9.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBDXSTEBAX
Gross margin 46.9% 44.4% 68.1%
EBITDA margin 21.4% 27.0% 27.3%
Operating margin 10.7% 18.9% 9.6%
Pretax margin 8.4% 18.0% 5.1%
Net margin 4.0% 13.3% -19.2%
FCF margin 13.8% 15.3% 15.1%
Operating cash flow margin 17.0% 21.3% 24.2%
Return on equity 3.9% 11.2% -17.4%
Return on assets 1.9% 7.5% -5.4%
Return on invested capital 5.3% 9.3% 3.4%
Return on capital employed 6.0% 12.1% 3.3%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.6x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 4.2x 1.6x -1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 1.2% 1.0% 2.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBDXSTEBAX
Debt / assets 33.1% 17.6% 47.8%
Debt / equity 0.7x 0.3x 1.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.2x 0.9x 4.8x
Debt / FCF 5.2x 2.0x 11.3x
Liabilities / assets 51.9% 32.7% 68.6%
Equity / assets 48.1% 67.3% 31.4%
Interest coverage 4.2x 18.8x –
Current ratio 0.9x 1.9x 1.9x
Quick ratio 0.3x 1.2x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.4x 0.6x
Altman Z-score 2.29 5.26 2.13

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBDXSTEBAX
Dividend yield 2.2% 1.1% 0.2%
Net buyback yield 4.7% 1.5% -0.2%
Shareholder yield 6.9% 2.7% 0.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 30.6% -17.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 26.7% 21.9%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 9.9% -60.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 9.7% -32.0%

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.

ConsensusBDXSTEBAX
Forward P/E 15.0xFY2026 19.8xFY2026 12.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.99FY2026 $11.56FY2026 $1.98FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +14.8%FY2026 +13.7%FY2026 -10.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -2.9% +13.2% -3.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $18.11BFY2026 $6.62BFY2026 $11.05BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -17.1%FY2026 +11.5%FY2026 -1.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +11.6% -0.3% +11.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBDXSTEBAX
Held by institutions 96.1% 97.1% 100.0%
Institutions holding 1,442 829 690
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.6% +1.1% +5.2%
Institutions buying 688 405 359
Institutions selling 543 300 193
Buyers to sellers 1.27 1.35 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.

BDXSTEBAX
BDX 1.00 0.47 0.39
STE 0.47 1.00 0.38
BAX 0.39 0.38 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BDX, STE and BAX?

Becton Dickinson (BDX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Becton Dickinson (BDX) $53.16B, Steris (STE) $22.30B, Baxter International (BAX) $13.18B.

Which stock is cheaper, BDX, STE and BAX?

Steris (STE) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 57.0x, Steris (STE) 27.7x, Baxter International (BAX) -12.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Baxter International (BAX) is cheapest (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 15.0x, Steris (STE) 19.8x, Baxter International (BAX) 12.9x). 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%, Steris (STE) +8.4%, Baxter International (BAX) -49.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Steris (STE) has the highest net margin (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 4.0%, Steris (STE) 13.3%, Baxter International (BAX) -19.2%). On return on invested capital, Steris (STE) leads (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 5.3%, Steris (STE) 9.3%, Baxter International (BAX) 3.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Baxter International (BAX) returned the most: Becton Dickinson (BDX) +6.0%, Steris (STE) -5.2%, Baxter International (BAX) +11.5%. Over five years, Steris (STE) compounded fastest (Becton Dickinson (BDX) -4.0%/yr, Steris (STE) -0.4%/yr, Baxter International (BAX) -20.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Becton Dickinson (BDX) has the highest dividend yield: Becton Dickinson (BDX) 2.15%, Steris (STE) 1.13%, Baxter International (BAX) 0.16%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Steris (STE) has been the steadiest (Becton Dickinson (BDX) 31.8%, Steris (STE) 26.2%, Baxter International (BAX) 44.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, BDX, STE 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, Steris (STE) 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.