BAX vs BDX Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Baxter International and Becton Dickinson both provide essential medical supplies and devices to hospitals worldwide, but Baxter concentrates more heavily on intravenous solutions and renal care while navigating portfolio restructuring and debt reduction, while Becton Dickinson operates a broader medical technology portfolio spanning supplies, devices, and diagnostics.
Baxter offers exposure to essential IV solutions and renal care products amid an ongoing restructuring and deleveraging story, while Becton Dickinson offers exposure to a broader, more diversified medical technology portfolio. Consider whether you prefer Baxter's restructuring turnaround potential or Becton Dickinson's diversified medical technology stability.
BAX holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. BAX leads on both 1-year return (+10.34%) and forward P/E quality (11.69x vs 13.38x for BDX), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. BDX leads on both revenue growth (5.40%) and operating margin (15.73%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for BAX (+20.70%) than for BDX (+10.02%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Believe continued portfolio restructuring will concentrate the business around higher-margin core products
- See turnaround upside potential as debt reduction efforts progress
- Value exposure to essential, recurring intravenous solutions and renal care hospital demand
- Are comfortable with the execution risk inherent in an ongoing restructuring process
- Want exposure to a broader, diversified medical technology portfolio spanning supplies, devices, and diagnostics
- Value the recurring revenue stability provided by consumable medical supply products
- Believe global distribution network and hospital relationships support consistent long-term demand
- Prefer a more established, diversified business over a restructuring-focused turnaround story
| Metric | BAX | BDX |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 27.2 | 41.9 |
| AI ranki | #2388 | #1189 |
| Latest closei | $25.30 | $198.91 |
| 1M returni | +7.71% | +8.98% |
| 3M returni | +12.95% | +27.21% |
| 6M returni | +39.32% | +30.74% |
| 1Y returni | +10.34% | +5.74% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | BAX | BDX |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $11K (+10.0%) started 2025-10-23 | $10.66K (+6.6%) started 2025-10-23 |
| 5Y ago | $3.69K (-63.1%) started 2021-10-25 | $9.22K (-7.8%) started 2021-10-25 |
| 10Y ago | $6.97K (-30.3%) started 2016-10-24 | $15.21K (+52.1%) started 2016-10-24 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | BAX | BDX |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $12.3B | $48.44B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 87.85 | 30.77 |
| Forward P/Ei | 11.69 | 13.38 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 1.73 | 2.87 |
| Analyst targeti | $28.73 | $195.67 |
| Target upsidei | +20.70% | +10.02% |
| Metric | BAX | BDX |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 5.30% | 5.40% |
| Earnings growthi | 36.80% | -31.40% |
| EPS growthi | +36.80% | -31.40% |
| FCF margini | +8.72% | +19.92% |
| Operating margini | 14.43% | 15.73% |
| Profit margini | -9.27% | 4.19% |
| ROIC proxyi | -14.37% | 6.61% |
| Return on equityi | -14.37% | 6.61% |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.17% | 2.36% |
| Payout ratioi | 154.67% | 72.49% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | No increase yet |
| Betai | 0.59 | 0.28 |
| Debt/equityi | 156.45 | 68.84 |
| Current ratioi | 1.95 | 0.86 |
| Quick ratioi | 1.13 | 0.33 |
Over the past year, BAX and BDX have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.41), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | BAX | BDX |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +10.05% | +6.64% |
| CAGRi | +10.06% | +6.65% | |
| Volatilityi | 43.19% | 30.92% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.34 | 0.22 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.46 | 0.30 | |
| Max drawdowni | 31.81% | 33.00% | |
| Current drawdowni | 10.76% | 5.29% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 15.07% | 15.46% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 16.92% | 18.96% | |
| Max daily dropi | 15.99% | 17.22% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 21.52% | 16.86% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -66.19% | -12.70% |
| CAGRi | -19.52% | -2.68% | |
| Volatilityi | 34.93% | 25.18% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.57 | -0.16 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.73 | -0.21 | |
| Max drawdowni | 80.87% | 48.93% | |
| Current drawdowni | 69.36% | 27.81% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 52.19% | 18.41% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 56.21% | 22.51% | |
| Max daily dropi | 22.42% | 18.13% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 24.85% | 20.00% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | -39.96% | +33.74% |
| CAGRi | -4.98% | +2.95% | |
| Volatilityi | 29.95% | 24.52% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.17 | 0.06 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.22 | 0.08 | |
| Max drawdowni | 81.40% | 48.93% | |
| Current drawdowni | 70.22% | 27.81% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 30.37% | 13.13% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 40.99% | 17.31% | |
| Max daily dropi | 22.42% | 18.13% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 24.85% | 20.00% |
| Category | BAX | BDX |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Baxter International Inc. | Becton, Dickinson and Company |
| Sector | Healthcare | Healthcare |
| Industry | Medical Instruments & Supplies | Medical Instruments & Supplies |
| Core business | A medical products company providing intravenous solutions, renal care, and other hospital-focused medical products and technologies used in acute and chronic care settings worldwide. | A global medical technology company providing medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products used in hospitals, laboratories, and other healthcare settings. |
| Investor focus | Portfolio restructuring and divestiture progress, IV solutions and renal care segment stability, and debt reduction trajectory following recent balance sheet adjustments. | Diagnostics segment growth, recurring revenue mix across medical supplies and devices, and margin performance amid ongoing portfolio evaluation. |
- Established position in intravenous solutions and renal care provides exposure to essential, recurring hospital supply demand
- Ongoing portfolio restructuring efforts aim to concentrate the business around higher-margin, core product categories
- Global manufacturing and distribution footprint supports broad hospital customer access
- Broad medical technology portfolio spans medical supplies, devices, and diagnostics, providing diversified hospital and laboratory customer exposure
- Recurring revenue nature of many consumable medical supply products provides earnings stability
- Global distribution network and long-standing hospital relationships support consistent product demand
- Portfolio restructuring and divestiture activity introduces execution risk and near-term uncertainty around the final business structure
- Elevated debt levels require sustained free cash flow generation and asset sale proceeds to reduce leverage
- Manufacturing supply chain disruptions have historically affected product availability and revenue in specific product categories
- Diversified portfolio can make it harder for investors to cleanly value individual segment growth drivers
- Manufacturing quality and regulatory compliance issues have historically affected specific product lines
- Ongoing portfolio evaluation and potential restructuring introduce some near-term strategic uncertainty
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