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BDX

S&P 500
Weak · 32/100

Becton Dickinson

Health Care
Health Care Equipment

$176.48

0.3%

Updated Today 11:30 AM ET

Report Card

BDX at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.

Value
0
Growth
0
Profitability
0
Health
0
Dividends
0

Overall: Weak · 32/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.

Price — Past Year

▲ Up 8.6% over the last 12 months

Price 50-day average 200-day averageDCF fair value ±15%Source: Yahoo Finance · refreshed daily
Key Metrics

Market Cap

$43.56B

P/E

42.92x

Forward P/E (est.)

57.1x

ROE

4.5%

Revenue Growth

2.4%

EPS Growth

-24.8%

Profit Margin

5.3%

FCF Yield

9.0%

Debt / Equity

0.76x

ROIC

5.0%

Interest Coverage

4.21x

Current Ratio

0.94x

Dividend Yield

2.9%

Implied Growth (rev. DCF)

2.7%

Rating Score

32/100

Business Overview
Research

Becton Dickinson (BDX) is a large-cap company in the Health Care Equipment industry, part of the Health Care sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $43.56B.

In its latest reported year it generated about $21.84B in revenue and $1.68B in net profit.

Our model rates BDX Weak (32/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.

Economic Moat

Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).

Narrow moat signalsMoat evidence score: 61/100

Some durable-advantage evidence, but not across the board — dig into which ingredient is weak and whether it's cyclical or structural.

Gross margin level67/100

46.9% average over the last 3 years

Gross margin stability85/100

±1.2 pts around 47.5% across 5 years

Revenue durability48/100

grew in 6 of the last 9 year-over-year periods

Free-cash-flow consistency100/100

positive in 6 of 6 years

Return on invested capital0/100

5.0% latest fiscal year

A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.

Technical Analysis (Educational)
Research

Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what BDX's chart says today, with each tool explained.

Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. BDX trades near $176.48, above its 50-day average ($148.01) and 200-day average ($154.15). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.

Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 64 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.

MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.

Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. BDX's is $4.28 (~2.4% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.

Support & resistance. Over the last month BDX found buyers near $140.11 (support) and sellers near $158.72 (resistance); its 52-week range is $127.59–$187.35. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.

Volume. The latest session traded 0.7× the 20-day average — lighter than usual, so the move carries less conviction. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.

Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.

Revenue Growth
Research

4Y CAGR

3.4%

1/4 checks passedRevenue growingRevenue growth beats sector midpointEPS growingEPS growing faster than revenue

Revenue moved from $12.48B in 2016 to $21.84B in 2025, a 6.4% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year was roughly flat (2.4%) year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.

Profitability
Research
1/4 checks passedProfitableNet margin above sector midpointROE above 12%ROIC above 10%

Gross Margin

47.0%

Operating Margin

11.8%

Net Margin

7.7%

ROE

4.5%

Becton Dickinson keeps about 5.3% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 47.0% gross margin and 11.8% operating margin. Return on equity is 4.5% and return on invested capital about 5.0%. Margins are moderate — typical of a competitive but profitable business.

Debt Analysis
Research
3/4 checks passedDebt under 1× equityDebt under 2× equityInterest covered 3×+Short-term bills covered

Total Debt

$15.46B

Net Debt

$14.64B

Net Debt / EBITDA

5.68x

Debt / Equity

0.76x

Leverage: debt-to-equity is 0.8x, and operating profit covers interest about 4.2x, with a current ratio of 0.9x. That is a moderate, manageable debt load for most businesses. It carries roughly $15.46B of total debt against $813.00M of cash.

Cash Flow Analysis
Research
3/3 checks passedPositive free cash flowFCF yield above 2%Market expects achievable growth (<8%)

Operating CF

$3.43B

Free Cash Flow

$2.67B

FCF Margin

12.2%

In the latest year Becton Dickinson produced about $3.43B of operating cash flow and $2.67B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 9.0% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.

Dividend Safety

Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.

BorderlineSafety score: 60/100

The dividend is being paid, but coverage or consistency is thinner than an income investor should rely on without a closer look.

Dividend yield

2.9%

Per share (latest FY)

$4.16

Total paid (latest FY)

$1.20B

History on record

10 years

Free-cash-flow coverage92/100

dividend uses 45% of free cash flow

Earnings payout ratio43/100

71% of net income paid out

Raise streak13/100

total dividends increased 1 year in a row

Cut history100/100

no cuts in the last 10 years on record

Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.

Valuation Analysis
Research
1/4 checks passedPositive earnings (P/E meaningful)P/E below sector's upper bandForward P/E below trailing (earnings growing)Trading below DCF fair value

P/E

42.92x

P/S

1.84x

P/B

2.56x

EV / EBITDA

BDX trades at 42.9x trailing earnings (about 57.1x on estimated forward earnings), 1.8x sales, and 2.6x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 2.7% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a rich multiple that prices in a lot of future growth.

DCF Fair Value (Educational)

A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.

DCF fair value / share

$151.85

Current price

$176.48

-14% · Near fair-value estimate

Starting FCF (latest 10-K)

$2.67B

Growth, years 1–5

2.4%

Fade to terminal, years 6–10

2.5%

Discount rate

9.0%

PV of 10-yr free cash flow$19.25B
PV of terminal value$22.60B
Estimated equity value$41.84B
Shares outstanding276M

Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.

Metrics vs. Sector Range

Where BDX sits versus its Health Care sector peers in the S&P 500.

TTM P/E
42.9xExpensive
Forward P/E
57.1xExpensive
P/S ratio
1.8xFair
Revenue growth
2.4%Weak
EPS growth
-24.8%Weak
Gross margin
47.0%Average
Net margin
5.3%Weak
ROE
4.5%Weak

Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 83 Health Care companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.

Sector Peer Comparison

How BDX stacks up against its Health Care peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.

In the Health Care sector (324 S&P 500 companies), BDX ranks #73 of 324 by our overall rating. It trades at a premium versus the sector on earnings (42.9x P/E vs. 27.3x median) with a lower return on equity (4.5% vs. 14.1%) and slower revenue growth (2.4% vs. 7.6%).

P/E vs sector

42.9x

median 27.3x

ROE vs sector

4.5%

median 14.1%

Growth vs sector

2.4%

median 7.6%

Sector rank

#73

of 324 by rating

CompanyP/ERev Gr.Rating
BDXThis stock42.9x2.4%Weak· 32
IDXX43x13.1%Favorable· 65
EW47.2x13.8%Neutral· 47
RMD20.4x10.3%Strong· 75
GEHC17.4x6.0%Neutral· 51
BSX20.8x17.4%Favorable· 71
DXCM34.9x16.1%Favorable· 70
STE29.2x8.7%Favorable· 59
Health Care median27.3x7.6%0/100

Valuation vs. quality map

sector medianIDXXEWRMDGEHCBSXDXCMSTEBDXP/E — cheaper ←→ pricierROE — more profitable ↑

The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.

Compare side by side

Peers are the closest Health Care companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 324 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.

5-Year Projection Model

Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.

2030 price target (Base Case)

$0.00 $0.00

vs. $176.48 today · expected CAGR 4%15%

Metric20262027202820292030
Revenue$22.50B$23.17B$23.87B$24.58B$25.32B
Net income$1.80B$1.85B$1.91B$1.97B$2.03B
EPS$7.29$7.51$7.74$7.97$8.21
Share price (low)$189.58$195.26$201.12$207.16$213.37
Share price (high)$313.53$322.94$332.63$342.60$352.88
CAGR (low–high)7% / 78%5% / 35%4% / 24%4% / 18%4% / 15%

Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.

Bull Case

The case for BDX:

  • Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~9.0%) funds buybacks and dividends.
  • Pays a 2.9% dividend on top of any price gains.
Bear Case

The case against BDX:

  • Revenue growth is slow (2.4%), limiting the upside engine.
  • A rich 42.9x earnings multiple prices in a lot of growth.
  • Our model's overall read is Weak (32/100).
Key Risks
Research

Valuation risk — at 42.9x earnings, disappointing results could compress the multiple.

Growth risk — sluggish revenue (2.4%) leaves little margin for execution missteps.

Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.

Investment Thesis
Research

On balance, the fundamentals screen weakly: Becton Dickinson is a large-cap health care business growing at a mature pace, with modest profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 42.9x earnings, which our model scores Weak (32/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.

Analyst Ratings

What 21 Wall Street analysts covering BDX recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.

Buy
consensus · score 3.7 / 5 across 21 analysts
Strong Buy 5Buy 5Hold 11Sell 0Strong Sell 0

Latest SEC Filings

BDX's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.

BDX — frequently asked questions

Is BDX a good stock to buy?

We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Becton Dickinson Weak (32/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.

What is BDX's rating on The Stocks School?

Becton Dickinson currently scores 32/100 (Weak) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.

How our ratings work
Where does BDX's data come from?

Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Becton Dickinson's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.

How is the 5-year projection for BDX calculated?

It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.

Is this BDX analysis financial advice?

No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell BDX. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.

Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.

Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.