Becton Dickinson and Co vs Morgan Stanley — how do they compare? Becton Dickinson and Co trades at $154.42 (market cap $41.51B), while Morgan Stanley trades at $229.23 (market cap $359.10B). The key difference: Morgan Stanley is far larger — about 8.7× Becton Dickinson and Co's market cap, and Becton Dickinson and Co pays the higher dividend (2.79%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| BDX | MS | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $41.51B | $359.10B |
Sector | Health | Financials |
52-Week High | $185.39 | $228.17 |
52-Week Low | $135.49 | $139.09 |
Enterprise Value | $57.97B | — |
Dividend Yield | 2.79% | 1.76% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
BDX trades at $153.83, up 1.24% today, with technical indicators showing a neutral to bullish bias. The company has consistently beaten earnings estimates in recent quarters, with Q1 2026 EPS of $2.90 exceeding expectations. Revenue growth remains steady, reaching $21.84B in 2025, though net margins have compressed to 5.12%. Recent news highlights BDX's innovation in medical technology and positive analyst sentiment.
The outlook for BDX appears balanced. Upside potential exists from continued earnings beats and strategic positioning in growing healthcare segments like GLP-1 drug support equipment. However, risks include margin pressure, elevated debt levels, and cautious hospital spending. The consensus price target of $173.40 suggests moderate upside from current levels.
Morgan Stanley (MS) trades at $221.09, down 0.54% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and strong fundamental performance including three consecutive quarterly earnings beats. Revenue grew to $66.0B in 2025 with net income margin expanding to 25.56%, while analyst consensus remains positive with a $225.80 price target. Recent news highlights the firm's role in leading Anthropic's upcoming IPO and expanding AI integration in wealth management.
The outlook for MS is favorable given earnings momentum and strategic positioning in high-growth areas like AI and IPO advisory, though risks include volatile cash flows and high debt levels. The stock presents a potential 2.1% upside to the consensus target, supported by 53.85% analyst buy ratings, but investors should monitor interest expense and macroeconomic impacts on financial services.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank whose history, through its legacy firms, can be traced back to 1924. The company has institutional securities, wealth management, and investment management segments. The company had about $5 trillion of client assets as well as over 70,000 employees at the end of 2021. Approximately 50% of the company's net revenue is from its institutional securities business, with the remainder coming from wealth and investment management. The company derives about 30% of its total revenue outside the Americas.
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