BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORP vs STRYKER CORP, two Medical Devices stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
The margin comparison favors the cheaper company: Boston Scientific earns a 21.2% operating margin against Stryker's 15.6%, a 17.3% net against 13.2%, on the same med-tech shelf, cardiology devices against orthopedics and surgical equipment. The multiples invert it, 38.5 times for Stryker against 18.5 for Boston Scientific, a spread the returns cannot explain, 14.5% against 13.6% on equity, near-parity. Boston Scientific also converts more of its price to free cash, 5.3% against 3.6%. Stryker's premium buys its acquisition machine and its share-gain record; Boston Scientific's discount reflects nothing visible on this page. When two franchises this similar trade twenty turns apart, one of the prices is carrying history rather than arithmetic.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | BSX | SYK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $44.13 | $332.30 |
| Market cap | $66.0B | $128.4B |
| Sector | Medical Devices | Medical Devices |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +6.7% | +23.7% |
| P/E | 18.5 | 38.5 |
| P/B | 2.53 | 5.59 |
| P/S | 3.20 | 5.08 |
| EV/EBITDA | 12.4 | 21.3 |
| Revenue growth | +17.6% | +8.8% |
| Gross margin | 69.5% | 63.3% |
| Operating margin | 21.2% | 15.6% |
| Net margin | 17.3% | 13.2% |
| Return on equity | 13.6% | 14.5% |
| Return on assets | 8.0% | 7.2% |
| Return on invested capital | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| FCF yield | 5.3% | 3.6% |
| Dividend yield | — | 0.5% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.64 |
| Current ratio | 1.90 | 2.11 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 6.88 | 4.73 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 5 / 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.