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BDX vs. STE: Becton, Dickinson vs. STERIS Stock Comparison

How do Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE) are both classified in the Health Care Equipment sub-industry within the broader Health Care Equipment & Supplies industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE)
Profile ItemBDXSTE
NameBecton, Dickinson and CompanySTERIS plc
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Equipment & SuppliesHealth Care Equipment & Supplies
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care EquipmentHealth Care Equipment
Market Capitalization57.71 billion USD24.50 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 21, 1973June 1, 1992
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BDX
STE
GSPC
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricBDXSTE
Total Return (1Y)57.61%-1.85%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)7.79%9.57%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)4.70%3.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BDX
STE
GSPC
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricBDXSTE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)26.68%26.39%
Beta (5Y)0.190.81
Max Drawdown (5Y)-40.06%-36.18%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.77M694.02K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BDX and STE are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricBDXSTE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.00-0.23
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.59-0.34

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 5.66% and STERIS (STE) at 11.61% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.66%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
BDX
5.66%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.61%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
STE
11.61%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

STERIS (STE) at 13.41% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 5.89%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.89%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
BDX
5.89%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

13.41%

Max
29.35%
STE
13.41%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 21.63% and STERIS (STE) at 19.18% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

21.63%

Max
35.43%
BDX
21.63%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

19.18%

Max
35.43%
STE
19.18%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricBDXSTE
ROE (TTM)5.66%11.61%
ROA (TTM)3.59%7.00%
Net Margin (TTM)5.89%13.41%
Operating Margin (TTM)21.63%19.18%
Gross Margin (TTM)47.02%44.30%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 8.24% and STERIS (STE) at 8.73% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

STERIS (STE) at 27.90% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at -1.86% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for STE.

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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricBDXSTE
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.24%8.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.99%9.38%
EPS Growth (YoY)-1.86%27.90%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-0.34%94.97%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

STERIS (STE) at 2.05 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 0.87 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for BDX.

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.87

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
BDX
0.87
Min
0.30

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.05

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
STE
2.05
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 0.66 and STERIS (STE) at 0.28 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.66

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
BDX
0.66
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.28

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
STE
0.28
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricBDXSTE
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.872.05
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.660.28
Net Debt / EBITDA2.950.91

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Becton, Dickinson (BDX) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile STERIS (STE) reports a yield of 1.02%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.00%

BDX
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.02%

STE
1.02%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 72.49% and STERIS (STE) at 30.61% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

72.49%

BDX
72.49%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.61%

STE
30.61%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricBDXSTE
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%1.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)72.49%30.61%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 41.87 and STERIS (STE) at 29.93 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

41.87

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
BDX
41.87
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

29.93

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
STE
29.93
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 2.97 and STERIS (STE) at 3.97 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.97

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
BDX
2.97
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.97

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
STE
3.97
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Becton, Dickinson (BDX) at 2.34 and STERIS (STE) at 3.38 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

BDX

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.34

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
BDX
2.34
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.38

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
STE
3.38
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
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Becton, Dickinson (BDX) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Becton, Dickinson (BDX) and STERIS (STE)
MetricBDXSTE
P/E Ratio (TTM)41.8729.93
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.973.97
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.343.38
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)7.18%3.36%