Escalon Medical (OTCMKTS:ESMC) & Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Critical Survey

Escalon Medical (OTCMKTS:ESMC) and Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) are both medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and dividends.

Volatility and Risk

Escalon Medical has a beta of 0.13, suggesting that its share price is 87% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a beta of 0.25, suggesting that its share price is 75% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Escalon Medical and Becton, Dickinson and Company”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Escalon Medical	$12.05 million	0.09	-$130,000.00	N/A	N/A
Becton, Dickinson and Company	$20.18 billion	2.75	$1.71 billion	$5.56	34.83

Becton, Dickinson and Company has higher revenue and earnings than Escalon Medical.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

87.0% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.9% of Escalon Medical shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Escalon Medical and Becton, Dickinson and Company’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Escalon Medical	0.88%	7.57%	2.18%
Becton, Dickinson and Company	7.51%	16.23%	7.46%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Escalon Medical and Becton, Dickinson and Company, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Escalon Medical	0	0	0	0	0.00
Becton, Dickinson and Company	0	9	3	0	2.25

Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus price target of $205.40, indicating a potential upside of 6.06%. Given Becton, Dickinson and Company’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Becton, Dickinson and Company is more favorable than Escalon Medical.

Summary

Becton, Dickinson and Company beats Escalon Medical on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Escalon Medical

Escalon Medical Corp. engages in the development, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of medical devices and pharmaceuticals in the area of ophthalmology in the United States and internationally. It offers A-Scan, which provides information about the internal structure of the eye; B-Scan, a diagnostic tool that supplies information to physicians where the media within the eye are cloudy or opaque; UBM, a high frequency/high resolution ultrasound device, which provides detailed information about the anterior segment of the eye; and Pachymeter that measures the thickness of cornea. The company also provides Ispan Intraocular Gases, such as C3F8 and SF6 that are used by vitreoretinal surgeons as a temporary tamponade in detached retina surgery; and AXIS Image management system for managing ophthalmic diagnostic images through the web browser from various devices. In addition, it markets disposable surgical packs used in vitreoretinal surgery, including packs that aid surgeons in the process of injecting and extracting silicone oil. Further, the company engages in the manufacturing and distribution of patented disposable universal gas kit, which delivers the gas from the canister to the patient. It sells its products to medical institutions through independent sales representatives, network of distributors, and internal sales employees. Escalon Medical Corp. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional. The BD Medical segment 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 systems, automated medication dispensing and supply management systems, and medication inventory optimization and tracking systems; and prefillable drug delivery systems. The BD Life Sciences segment offers specimen and blood collection products; automated blood and tuberculosis culturing, molecular testing, microorganism identification and drug susceptibility, and liquid-based cytology systems, 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 systems, and solutions for single-cell gene expression analysis, as well as clinical oncology, immunological, and transplantation diagnostic/monitoring reagents and analyzers. The BD Interventional segment provides hernia and soft tissue repair, biological and bioresorbable grafts, biosurgery, and other surgical products; surgical infection prevention; peripheral intervention products; and urology and critical care products. The company was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.