BECTON DICKINSON & CO vs 3M COMPANY, two Medical Devices stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where BDX and MMM diverge most: on fcf yield, BDX reads -0.3% and MMM reads 4.3%; on return on equity, BDX reads 4.7% and MMM reads 99.7%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's BDX price has a different growth bar priced in than MMM (+7.7% implied for BDX vs +21.7% for MMM); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What BDX's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What MMM's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (segment-resolved basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | BDX | MMM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $165.67 | $176.28 |
| Market cap | $46.5B | $92.1B |
| Sector | Medical Devices | Medical Devices |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +7.7% | +21.7% |
| P/E | 42.0 | 31.3 |
| P/B | 1.93 | 30.65 |
| P/S | 2.18 | 3.66 |
| EV/EBITDA | 18.5 | 21.1 |
| Revenue growth | +6.4% | +2.3% |
| Operating margin | 2.0% | 15.1% |
| Net margin | 5.3% | 11.9% |
| Return on equity | 4.7% | 99.7% |
| Return on assets | 2.2% | 8.6% |
| Return on invested capital | 4.2% | 24.9% |
| FCF yield | -0.3% | 4.3% |
| Dividend yield | 2.5% | 1.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.72 | 4.18 |
| Current ratio | 0.94 | 1.24 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 6.89 | 4.19 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.