Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, medical-device maker Becton, Dickinson and Co.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at BD's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
BD facts
| Headquarters (founded) | Franklin Lakes, N.J. (1897) |
| Market Cap | $16.3 billion |
| Industry | Healthcare equipment |
| Trailing-12-Month Revenue | $7.9 billion |
| Management | CEO Vincent Forlenza (since October 2011) CFO David Elkins (since December 2008) |
| Return on Capital (average, past 3 years) | 14.4% |
| Cash/Debt | $2.7 billion / $4.2 billion |
| Dividend Yield | 2.3% |
| Competitors |
Abbott Labs Baxter International Covidien |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 98% of the 1,146 members who have rated BD believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.
A couple of months ago, one of those Fools, All-Star msIRA, listed several of BD's positives:
Stable business. Good [return on equity]. Good profit margins. Fairly valued. Good long term growth rate. Plus if the market corrects this will outpermform short term I would guess. And outperform long term also.
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