MDT vs BSX Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
MDT and BSX are the two largest dedicated medical device companies, but with very different recent performance profiles. Boston Scientific has consistently grown faster (8-12% revenue) with innovative products (Farapulse, WATCHMAN) while Medtronic has lagged with execution challenges and slower-growing legacy segments. Medtronic trades at a lower valuation reflecting underperformance but offers potential recovery upside. Boston Scientific commands a premium reflecting its superior growth track record.
MDT vs BSX — Medtronic (the world's largest medical device company with cardiac rhythm management legacy, Affera PFA entry, Hugo robotics launch, and diabetes segment restructuring at a discounted valuation vs peers) versus Boston Scientific (the consistently high-growth device company with Farapulse PFA leadership, WATCHMAN structural heart dominance, and 8-12% revenue growth track record commanding a premium multiple).
BSX holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. MDT has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-3.62% vs -55.88%), though BSX has the better forward P/E setup (13.64x vs 14.24x for MDT). On fundamentals, MDT is growing revenue faster (9.90%), while BSX maintains the higher operating margin (22.90%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for BSX (+33.84%) than for MDT (+8.34%).
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.
- value Medtronic's 3%+ dividend yield and long dividend growth history — Medtronic is a Dividend Aristocrat with consistent shareholder income
- see Medtronic's recovery potential as a mean-reversion opportunity — if Affera PFA and Hugo robotics gain traction, Medtronic's discount to Boston Scientific could close
- prefer Medtronic's lower valuation (20-25x earnings) vs Boston Scientific's 35-40x premium — the valuation gap provides more margin of safety for a lower-growth profile
- are comfortable with revenue growth lagging peers, Hugo robotics behind Da Vinci, and diabetes segment execution challenges that management must address
- want the best-executing large medical device company with Farapulse PFA early leadership and WATCHMAN structural heart market dominance driving double-digit revenue growth
- see Farapulse's physician adoption momentum as a compound growth driver as PFA replaces conventional radiofrequency ablation in electrophysiology labs
- value Boston Scientific's consistent 8-12% revenue growth track record as the most reliable large-cap medical device growth franchise
- are comfortable with premium valuation (35-40x earnings), PFA competition from Medtronic and J&J, and endoscopy challenger market position vs Olympus's dominance
| Metric | MDT | BSX |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 41.2 | 39.8 |
| AI ranki | #1072 | #1203 |
| Latest closei | $92.13 | $43.34 |
| 1M returni | -2.12% | -16.67% |
| 6M returni | +6.06% | -37.99% |
| 1Y returni | -3.62% | -55.88% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | MDT | BSX |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.64K (-3.6%) started 2025-09-18 | $4.41K (-55.9%) started 2025-09-18 |
| 5Y ago | $9.09K (-9.1%) started 2021-09-20 | $9.93K (-0.7%) started 2021-09-20 |
| 10Y ago | $17.08K (+70.8%) started 2016-09-19 | $18.43K (+84.3%) started 2016-09-19 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | MDT | BSX |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $116.77B | $67.88B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 24.46 | 18.96 |
| Forward P/Ei | 14.24 | 13.64 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 3.78 | 3.82 |
| Analyst targeti | $98.84 | $62.69 |
| Target upsidei | +8.34% | +33.84% |
| Metric | MDT | BSX |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 9.90% | 7.50% |
| Earnings growthi | 18.30% | 15.10% |
| EPS growthi | +18.30% | +15.10% |
| FCF margini | +12.72% | +11.68% |
| Operating margini | 22.05% | 22.90% |
| Profit margini | 13.20% | 17.50% |
| ROIC proxyi | 9.84% | 15.34% |
| Return on equityi | 9.84% | 15.34% |
| Dividend yieldi | 3.16% | N/A |
| Payout ratioi | 70.20% | 0.00% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | N/A |
| Betai | 0.57 | 0.57 |
| Debt/equityi | 58.21 | 50.15 |
| Current ratioi | 2.13 | 1.24 |
| Quick ratioi | 1.36 | 0.56 |
Over the past year, MDT and BSX have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.47), 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 | MDT | BSX |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -3.62% | -55.88% |
| CAGRi | -3.62% | -55.90% | |
| Volatilityi | 23.51% | 38.19% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.23 | -2.07 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.35 | -2.42 | |
| Max drawdowni | 30.00% | 59.39% | |
| Current drawdowni | 12.55% | 58.72% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 12.68% | 31.27% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 15.35% | 38.01% | |
| Max daily dropi | 5.11% | 17.59% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 7.05% | 19.50% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -19.60% | -0.69% |
| CAGRi | -4.27% | -0.14% | |
| Volatilityi | 22.49% | 26.62% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.28 | -0.04 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.38 | -0.05 | |
| Max drawdowni | 43.47% | 60.58% | |
| Current drawdowni | 21.16% | 59.92% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 26.61% | 10.41% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 27.79% | 18.72% | |
| Max daily dropi | 7.26% | 17.59% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 11.81% | 19.50% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +33.62% | +84.35% |
| CAGRi | +2.94% | +6.31% | |
| Volatilityi | 23.55% | 27.74% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.05 | 0.20 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.07 | 0.27 | |
| Max drawdowni | 45.10% | 60.58% | |
| Current drawdowni | 23.43% | 59.92% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 17.80% | 9.30% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 22.08% | 15.42% | |
| Max daily dropi | 12.82% | 17.59% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 19.36% | 19.55% |
| Category | MDT | BSX |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Medtronic plc | Boston Scientific Corporation |
| Sector | Healthcare | Healthcare |
| Industry | Medical Devices | Medical Devices |
| Core business | Medtronic is the world's largest standalone medical device company with products across cardiovascular (pacemakers, defibrillators, TAVR valves, cardiac ablation), neuromodulation (spinal cord stimulation, deep brain stimulation), diabetes (insulin pumps, CGM), spine (surgical implants, biologics), and surgical innovations (robotic-assisted surgery). Medtronic's Irish domicile (post-Covidien inversion) provides tax advantages. Medtronic has been investing in robotic surgery (Hugo Robotic Assisted Surgery system) to compete with Intuitive Surgical. The diabetes segment remains a focus area as CGM technology improves. | Boston Scientific is a leading medical device company focused on cardiovascular (structural heart, cardiac rhythm management, electrophysiology), endoscopy, neuromodulation, and urology. Boston Scientific's WATCHMAN LAA closure device is the leading alternative to anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation stroke prevention. Farapulse (pulsed field ablation, PFA) is Boston Scientific's FDA-approved PFA catheter for cardiac ablation — one of the fastest-growing cardiac devices. Boston Scientific's endoscopy division (single-use bronchoscopes, GI endoscopy tools) provides diversification beyond cardiac. |
| Investor focus | Investors focus on Medtronic's organic revenue growth recovery, Hugo robotic surgery launch progress, pulsed field ablation (PFA) competitive positioning in cardiac ablation, and dividend sustainability from strong FCF. | Investors focus on Boston Scientific's Farapulse PFA market penetration, WATCHMAN structural heart growth, electrophysiology expansion, endoscopy division performance, and consistent revenue growth in the 8-12% range. |
- World's largest medical device company by revenue: Medtronic's scale provides purchasing leverage, global distribution infrastructure, and R&D investment capacity that smaller device companies cannot match
- Pulsed field ablation (PFA) opportunity: Medtronic's Affera PFA catheter for cardiac ablation enters a market disrupted by new technology — PFA offers faster, safer ablation for atrial fibrillation
- Cardiac rhythm management legacy strength: Medtronic's pacemakers and ICDs (implantable cardioverter-defibrillators) are installed in millions of patients globally — the installed base generates replacement device revenue as battery life ends
- Farapulse PFA first-mover advantage: Boston Scientific's FDA-approved Farapulse is the leading pulsed field ablation device for cardiac ablation — physician adoption has been exceptional, creating early franchise strength
- WATCHMAN LAA closure device market leadership: WATCHMAN is the only FDA-approved left atrial appendage (LAA) closure device for stroke prevention in AFib patients who can't tolerate anticoagulants — a growing addressable market
- Consistent revenue growth execution: Boston Scientific has grown revenue at 8-12% consistently, outperforming the medical device sector average — demonstrating execution discipline across a multi-division portfolio
- Underperformance vs smaller peers: Medtronic's revenue growth has lagged Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, and other focused device companies for multiple years — execution challenges in a complex diversified portfolio
- Hugo robotic surgery behind Intuitive Surgical: Medtronic's Hugo robotic surgery platform is in international launch but significantly behind Intuitive Surgical's Da Vinci in installed base, surgeon training, and clinical data
- Diabetes segment restructuring: Medtronic's diabetes division competes with Abbott (FreeStyle Libre) and Dexcom in CGM — losing ground in the CGM race has required strategy reassessment
- Medtronic Affera and J&J Varipulse PFA competition: Farapulse faces competitive entries from Medtronic (Affera) and J&J — increasing PFA competition could erode Farapulse's early market share advantage
- Premium valuation reflects growth expectations: Boston Scientific trades at 35-40x earnings — requiring continued double-digit revenue growth to justify the premium vs Medtronic's lower-multiple but slower growth profile
- Endoscopy competition from Olympus: Olympus is the dominant endoscopy device maker globally — Boston Scientific competes as a market share challenger in endoscopy rather than leader
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