Sifting through countless of stocks in the Health Care Equipment & Supplies industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Becton, Dickinson and Company or Abbott Laboratories because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Becton, Dickinson and Company and Abbott Laboratories compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company and Abbott Laboratories

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. It operates through Medical Essentials, Connected Care, BioPharma Systems, Interventional and Life Sciences segments. It provides peripheral intravenous (IV) and advanced peripheral catheters, central lines, acute dialysis catheters, vascular access technology, vascular care and preparation products, needle-free IV connectors and extensions sets, closed-system drug transfer devices, hazardous drug detections, hypodermic syringes and needles, anesthesia needles and trays, enteral syringes, and sharps disposal systems; IV medication safety and infusion therapy delivery systems, medication compounding workflow system, automated medication dispensing and supply management systems, informatics and analytics and pharmacy automation system, and medication inventory optimization and tracking system; hemodynamic monitoring system; and prefillable drug delivery systems. It also offers specimen and blood collection products; automated blood and tuberculosis culturing, molecular testing, and microorganism identification and drug susceptibility, as well as rapid diagnostic assays, microbiology laboratory automation products, and plated media products; and fluorescence-activated cell sorters and analyzers, antibodies and kits, reagent system, and solution for single-cell gene expression analysis, as well as clinical oncology, immunological, and transplantation diagnostic/monitoring reagents and analyzers. It provides hernia and soft tissue repair, biological and bioresorbable graft, biosurgery, and other surgical products; surgical infection prevention, peripheral intervention, and urology and critical care products. The company has a strategic collaboration with ChemoGLO for the advancement of hazardous drug contamination testing in health care settings to improve the safety of health care workers. The company was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The company offers generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, hypertriglyceridemia, Ménière's disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon. It also provides laboratory and transfusion medicine systems in the areas of immunoassay, clinical chemistry, hematology, and transfusion serology testing; molecular diagnostics polymerase chain reaction instrument systems that automate the extraction, purification, and preparation of DNA and RNA from patient samples, and detect and measure infectious agents; point of care systems; cartridges for testing blood gas, chemistry, electrolytes, coagulation, and immunoassay; rapid diagnostics lateral flow testing products; molecular point-of-care testing for HIV, SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B, RSV, and strep A; cardiometabolic test systems; and drug and alcohol test. In addition, the company offers pediatric and adult nutritional products and infant formula; rhythm management, electrophysiology, heart failure, vascular, and structural heart devices for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases; diabetes care products, such as glucose and blood glucose monitoring systems; and neuromodulation devices. The company was formerly known as Abbott Alkaloidal Company and changed its name to Abbott Laboratories in 1915. Abbott Laboratories was founded in 1888 and is based in Abbott Park, Illinois.

Latest Health Care Equipment & Supplies and Becton, Dickinson and Company, Abbott Laboratories Stock News

As of September 2, 2026, Becton, Dickinson and Company had a $51.1 billion market capitalization, compared to the Health Care Equipment & Supplies median of $416.1 million. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s stock is down 3.6% in 2026, down 0.5% in the previous five trading days and down 0.34% in the past year.

Currently, Becton, Dickinson and Company’s price-earnings ratio is 32.2. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s trailing 12-month revenue is $22.5 billion with a 4.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 5.4%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $12.623 per share for the current fiscal year. Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a 2.2% dividend yield.

As of September 2, 2026, Abbott Laboratories had a $191.2 billion market cap, putting it in the 99th percentile of all stocks. Abbott Laboratories’s stock is down 13.2% in 2026, down 2.6% in the previous five trading days and down 15.97% in the past year.

Currently, Abbott Laboratories’s price-earnings ratio is 35.7. Abbott Laboratories’s trailing 12-month revenue is $46.6 billion with a 11.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 13.0%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.519 per share for the current fiscal year. Abbott Laboratories currently has a 2.3% dividend yield.

How We Compare Becton, Dickinson and Company and Abbott Laboratories Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Becton, Dickinson and Company and Abbott Laboratories’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Becton, Dickinson and Company and Abbott Laboratories Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Becton, Dickinson and Company	BDX	C
Abbott Laboratories	ABT	F

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Becton, Dickinson and Company has a Value Score of 45, which is Average. Abbott Laboratories has a Value Score of 18, which is Ultra Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Becton, Dickinson and Company or Abbott Laboratories has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Becton, Dickinson and Company or Abbott Laboratories is the better investment when it comes to value.

Becton, Dickinson and Company and Abbott Laboratories Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Becton, Dickinson and Company	BDX	A
Abbott Laboratories	ABT	B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Becton, Dickinson and Company has a Growth Score of 95, which is Very Strong. Abbott Laboratories has a Growth Score of 73, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Becton, Dickinson and Company

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a more attractive growth grade than Abbott Laboratories. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Becton, Dickinson and Company could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Becton, Dickinson and Company and Abbott Laboratories’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Becton, Dickinson and Company	BDX	B
Abbott Laboratories	ABT	C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Becton, Dickinson and Company has a Earnings Estimate Score of 69, which is Positive. Abbott Laboratories has a Earnings Estimate Score of 48, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Becton, Dickinson and Company

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Abbott Laboratories. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Becton, Dickinson and Company could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Becton, Dickinson and Company and Abbott Laboratories Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Growth and Value, A+ Investor also provides grades for Momentum and Quality.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Becton, Dickinson and Company and Abbott Laboratories pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Becton, Dickinson and Company or Abbott Laboratories Stock?

Overall, Becton, Dickinson and Company stock has a Value Score of 45, Growth Score of 95 and Estimate Revisions Score of 69.

Abbott Laboratories stock has a Value Score of 18, Growth Score of 73 and Estimate Revisions Score of 48.

Comparing Becton, Dickinson and Company and Abbott Laboratories’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.