Price movement over the last 24 hours
Agilent Technologies Inc vs Becton Dickinson and Co — how do they compare? Agilent Technologies Inc trades at $128.41 (market cap $37.04B), while Becton Dickinson and Co trades at $151.63 (market cap $43.07B). The key difference: Becton Dickinson and Co is the larger of the two by market cap, and Becton Dickinson and Co pays the higher dividend (2.69%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| A | BDX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $37.04B | $43.07B |
Sector | Health | Health |
52-Week High | $157.20 | $185.39 |
52-Week Low | $110.24 | $135.49 |
Enterprise Value | $38.59B | $59.53B |
Dividend Yield | 0.78% | 2.69% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Agilent Technologies (A) trades at $131.14, up 0.34% on the day, with a bearish technical signal but strong analyst support. The stock shows solid profitability with a net margin of 19.55% and ROE of 21.33%, supported by recent earnings beats. Recent acquisitions like Biocare Medical highlight growth initiatives, while cash flow trends remain positive. Valuation ratios such as P/E of 26.22 are elevated but align with quality growth expectations.
The outlook is positive given analyst consensus with a $154.90 price target and 77.5% buy ratings. Risks include execution of acquisitions and macroeconomic pressures on life sciences spending. The stock offers growth potential from AI-driven product launches, though technical resistance near $132 may cap near-term gains.
BDX trades at $156.30, down 1.13% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages but neutral oscillators. Recent earnings beat expectations for Q1 2026, and the company maintains stable revenue growth, reaching $21.84B in 2025. Positive news highlights innovation in medical technology and dividend reliability, supporting a mixed but leaning positive analyst view.
Outlook is cautiously optimistic with a consensus price target of $172.33 offering ~10% upside. Risks include hospital spending caution and reimbursement uncertainty, but strong cash flow and product launches provide growth catalysts. The stock presents a balanced opportunity for dividend-focused investors amid moderate volatility.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Originally spun out of Hewlett-Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved into a leading life sciences and diagnostics firm. Today, Agilent's measurement technologies serve a broad base of customers with its three operating segments: life science and applied tools (45% of fiscal 2021 sales), cross lab (35% of sales consisting of consumables and services related to its life science and applied tools), and diagnostics and genomics (20%). Over half of its sales are generated from the biopharmaceutical, chemical, and energy end markets, but it also supports clinical lab, environmental, forensics, food, academic, and government-related organizations. The company is geographically diverse, with operations in the U.S. (34%) and China (20%) representing the largest country concentrations.
Read more on A →Becton, Dickinson is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of medical surgical products, such as needles, syringes, and sharps-disposal units. The company also manufactures diagnostic instruments and reagents, as well as flow cytometry and cell-imaging systems. BD Interventional (largely the former Bard business) accounts for 23% of revenue. International revenue accounts for 44% of the company's business.
Read more on BDX →