BDX
Becton, Dickinson and Company
BDX's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
UNH
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
UNH has the edge over BDX overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger fundamentals.
BDX Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Under pressure | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Under pressure |
BDX's profitability and cash flow are currently healthy, but its revenue and balance sheet are under pressure.
UNH Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy |
UNH's cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue and profitability are stable.
BDX PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 16x | $216 | — |
| Cheap | 36x | $119 | -45% |
| Fair | 46x | $152 | -30% |
| Current | 52x | $216 | — |
| Expensive | 62x | $204 | -5.3% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
BDX's PE is 52x, but its earnings don't support one, so it isn't a reliable read right now.
UNH PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 18x | $405 | — |
| Cheap | 19x | $325 | -20% |
| Fair | 23x | $410 | +1.2% |
| Current | 23x | $405 | — |
| Expensive | 30x | $526 | +30% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
UNH has the edge over BDX in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
BDX Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect BDX's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue holding steady.
UNH Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Low |
Analysts expect UNH's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue holding steady. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
BDX Earnings Per Share
BDX and UNH do not have enough comparable growth data to identify a winner.
UNH Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $22.65 | +29% |
| Q3 2026 | $17.55 | -8.5% |
| Q2 2026 | $15.58 | -33% |
| Q1 2026 | $13.28 | -44% |
| Q4 2025 | $13.23 | -15% |
| Q3 2025 | $19.17 | +25% |
| Q2 2025 | $23.09 | +53% |
| Q1 2025 | $23.89 | +46% |
| Q4 2024 | $15.51 | -35% |
UNH's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $17.55 over the past year, against $23.89 in early 2025.
BDX Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $5B | -9.5% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.7B | -11% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.3B | +1.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.9B | +8.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.5B | +10% |
| Q1 2025 | $5.3B | +4.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $5.2B | +9.8% |
| Q3 2024 | $5.4B | +6.9% |
BDX's revenue grew through 2023 and has held roughly level since: $5B last quarter, down 9.5% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 13% | -2.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 2% | -8.4 points |
| Q4 2025 | 11% | +1.7 points |
| Q3 2025 | 12% | +0.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 16% | +4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 10% | -4.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 8.8% | -0.6 points |
| Q3 2024 | 11% | +4.6 points |
BDX has the edge over UNH on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
UNH Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $112.7B | -0.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $112B | +0.4% |
| Q1 2026 | $111.7B | +2% |
| Q4 2025 | $113.2B | +12% |
| Q3 2025 | $113.2B | +12% |
| Q2 2025 | $111.6B | +13% |
| Q1 2025 | $109.6B | +9.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $100.8B | +6.8% |
UNH has the edge over BDX on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 5.8% | +2 points |
| Q2 2026 | 7.1% | +2.5 points |
| Q1 2026 | 8.1% | -0.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 0.3% | -7.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 3.8% | -4.8 points |
| Q2 2025 | 4.6% | -3.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 8.3% | +0.4 points |
| Q4 2024 | 7.7% | -0.4 points |
UNH's operating margin was 5.8% last quarter, up 2 points from the same quarter a year ago.
BDX Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $633M | -39% |
| Q1 2026 | $546M | +1460% |
| Q4 2025 | $549M | -6.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $1B | +14% |
| Q2 2025 | $1B | -6.5% |
| Q1 2025 | $35M | -91% |
| Q4 2024 | $588M | -20% |
| Q3 2024 | $882M | -14% |
BDX's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $2.7B over the past year, up 7.1% from the year before.
UNH Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.3B | -16% |
| Q2 2026 | $10.3B | +63% |
| Q1 2026 | $8.1B | +79% |
| Q4 2025 | $160M | -89% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.1B | -61% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.3B | +6.9% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.6B | +1037% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.5B | +$7.6B |
UNH has the edge over BDX on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
BDX Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -2% | -5.5M shares |
| 1 year | -4.2% | -12.1M shares |
| 3 years | -4.4% | -12.8M shares |
| 5 years | -8% | -24M shares |
| Available history | -2.3% | -6.5M shares |
BDX has the edge over UNH on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | $2B |
| Q4 2025 | $250M |
| Q3 2025 | $250M |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | — |
| Q4 2024 | $750M |
| Q3 2024 | — |
BDX spent $2.5B buying back its own shares over the past year, about three times what it spent the year before.
UNH Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.4% | -4M shares |
| 1 year | -0.7% | -6M shares |
| 3 years | -3.6% | -34M shares |
| 5 years | -5.5% | -53M shares |
| Available history | -6.6% | -64M shares |
UNH has 902M diluted shares, down 0.7% from a year ago, with $5B in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.4B |
| Q2 2026 | $1.6B |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | $2.5B |
| Q1 2025 | $3B |
| Q4 2024 | $5B |
UNH spent $5B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 52% from the year before.
BDX Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 3.7x | Elevated |
| Q1 2026 | 3.5x | Elevated |
| Q4 2025 | 3.7x | Elevated |
| Q3 2025 | 3.7x | Elevated |
| Q2 2025 | 3.8x | Elevated |
| Q1 2025 | 4.1x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 3.8x | Elevated |
| Q3 2024 | 3.9x | Elevated |
BDX's net debt is about 3.7 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), about the same as a year ago.
UNH Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q2 2026 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 2.2x | Moderate |
| Q4 2025 | 2.3x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 1.7x | Healthy |
| Q2 2025 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 1.3x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 1.4x | Healthy |
UNH has the edge over BDX on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
BDX Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 73.7 | Overbought |
| Stochastic | 95.0 | Overbought |
BDX's weekly RSI is 74 (overbought) and its Stochastic is 95 (overbought).
UNH Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 56.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 60.0 | Neutral |
UNH's weekly RSI is 56 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 60 (neutral).
BDX PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | BDX | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 52x | 26x | 102% above |
| PE % | 74 | 29 | 45 pts above |
BDX is trading at 52x earnings, a 102% premium to the Healthcare sector's median of 26x, though its earnings don't support one.
UNH PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | UNH | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 23x | 26x | 11% below |
| PE % | 47 | 29 | 18 pts above |
UNH has the edge over BDX on valuation relative to its sector.
BDX Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $195.1 | 11% above |
| 20 week MA | $181.8 | 19% above |
| 50 week MA | $166.8 | 29% above |
| 100 week MA | $161.5 | 34% above |
| 200 week MA | $176.9 | 22% above |
BDX has the edge over UNH on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
UNH Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $394.2 | 2.8% above |
| 20 week MA | $400.5 | 1.2% above |
| 50 week MA | $361.2 | 12% above |
| 100 week MA | $376.0 | 7.8% above |
| 200 week MA | $446.6 | 9.3% below |
UNH has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8-, 20-, 50- and 100-week averages, but 9.3% below its 200-week average.
BDX Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $209.3 | $190.2 | -9.1% |
| 2021 | $190.2 | $190.9 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | $190.9 | $200.1 | +4.8% |
| 2023 | $200.1 | $191.7 | -4.2% |
| 2024 | $191.7 | $179.6 | -6.3% |
| 2025 | $179.6 | $154.4 | -14% |
| 2026 YTD | $154.4 | $215.7 | +40% |
BDX has the edge over UNH on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
UNH Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $296.0 | $340.8 | +15% |
| 2021 | $340.8 | $495.4 | +45% |
| 2022 | $495.4 | $531.3 | +7.3% |
| 2023 | $531.3 | $526.5 | -0.9% |
| 2024 | $526.5 | $510.0 | -3.1% |
| 2025 | $510.0 | $331.8 | -35% |
| 2026 YTD | $331.8 | $405.1 | +22% |
UNH has finished three years in a row lower, and it's up 22% so far in 2026.