BDX vs WST vs BAX Stock Comparison

Becton Dickinson, West Pharmaceutical Services and Baxter International 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.

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

Percentile Scorecard

BDXWSTBAX

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

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

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

Risk

MeasureBDXWSTBAXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 31.8%31.6%44.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 33.1%31.4%48.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.340.571.16 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.210.870.23 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -50.4%-59.6%-82.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -5.3%-0.6%-10.7% -2.5%
52-week high $210.02$394.30$28.35 $779.14
52-week low $140.71$230.95$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.

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

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

Growth

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

Profitability

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

Financial Health

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

Shareholder Returns

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

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

Institutional Ownership

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

BDXWSTBAX
BDX 1.00 0.26 0.39
WST 0.26 1.00 0.26
BAX 0.39 0.26 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BDX, WST and BAX?

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

Which stock is cheaper, BDX, WST and BAX?

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

Which company is more profitable?

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

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) returned the most: Becton Dickinson (BDX) +6.6%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) +27.6%, Baxter International (BAX) +10.1%. Over five years, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) compounded fastest (Becton Dickinson (BDX) -4.3%/yr, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) -1.4%/yr, Baxter International (BAX) -21.0%/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%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 0.00%, Baxter International (BAX) 0.01%. 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%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 31.6%, Baxter International (BAX) 44.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, BDX, WST 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, 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.