Compare StocksAXP vs BDX

American Express Company (AXP) vs Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX)

AXP
American Express Company
$294.93
VS
BDX
Becton, Dickinson and Company
$156.53

Rewards

AXP
  • Gross margin of 63.5% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.
  • Each dollar of retained earnings has created $6.18 of market value — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
BDX
  • Free cash flow has grown at a 17.2% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • Share count has been reduced by 21% over the past 5 years through buybacks, increasing each share's claim on earnings.
  • Dividend yield of 2.68% with a consistent or growing payout over the past 4 years.

Risks

AXP
  • Altman Z-Score of 0.93 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
  • 7 insider sales totaling $36.4M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.
  • Free cash flow has declined at a 5.9% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.
BDX
  • FCF yield of 5.5% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.
  • 5 insider sales with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.

Key Valuation Metrics

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AXP
BDX
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$3.11B
N/A
FCF Yield
5.48%
19.19
Trailing P/E
25.58
14.64
Forward P/E
11.60
Quality & Moat
9.49%
ROIC
5.16%
31.97%
ROE
6.64%
63.47%
Gross Margin
46.78%
1.16
PEG Ratio
0.89
Balance Sheet Safety
1.91
Debt / Equity
0.77
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
N/A
Net Debt / EBITDA
3.11
1.29%
Dividend Yield
2.68%
AXP: 4Ties: 1BDX: 4
AXPBDX

Historical Fundamentals

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AXP

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

BDX

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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AXP
$6.18
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$23.29B
Δ Market Cap
+$144.01B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
BDX
$-8.99
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Market Cap Declined
Σ Retained
$1.46B
Δ Market Cap
$-13.11B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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AXP
38.6% Margin of Safety
Price is 38.6% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $294.93
Fair Value: $480.21
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
BDX
232.2% Overvalued
Price is 232.2% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $156.53
Fair Value: $47.11
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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AXP

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

BDX

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $157?

+18.8%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +10.4%

The market implies +18.8% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +10.4%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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AXP
40/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving margin stability would strengthen the moat.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
BDX
67/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving roic consistency would strengthen the moat.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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AXP
-2.51
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
BDX
-2.63
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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AXP
Insiders 22.2%Institutions 64.8%Retail & Other 12.9%
No. of Institutional Holders3,749
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
BDX
Insiders 0.4%Institutions 96.1%Retail & Other 3.5%
No. of Institutional Holders2,025
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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AXP
0
Buys (3M)
1
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $4,054
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4,054
@ $176.26 · 2025-04-09
ANGELAKIS MICHAEL J
Director
$998,593
@ $269.89 · 2025-03-07
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
BDX
0
Buys (3M)
1
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $1.01M
HAYES GREGORY J
Director
$1.01M
@ $191.57 · 2025-08-11
HENDERSON JEFFREY WILLIAM
Director
$350,430
@ $233.62 · 2025-02-10
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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AXP
7
Sells (3M)
20
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $152.65M
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$909,661
@ $300.02 · 2026-03-06
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4.77M
@ $340.67 · 2026-02-19
GROSFIELD HOWARD M
Officer
$2.82M
@ $346.73 · 2026-02-12
RADHAKRISHNAN RAVIKUMAR S
Chief Technology Officer
$5.35M
@ $356.58 · 2026-02-09
SEEGER LAUREEN E
Officer
$4.60M
@ $360.99 · 2026-02-09
MARRS ANNA
Officer
$9.60M
@ $350.01 · 2026-02-05
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$8.35M
@ $356.91 · 2026-02-05
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$538,902
@ $384.93 · 2025-12-12
RUTLEDGE ELIZABETH
Officer
$18.01M
@ $360.21 · 2025-10-31
TABISH DOUGLAS J
Officer
$894,359
@ $355.61 · 2025-10-23
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$1.75M
@ $350.73 · 2025-10-22
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$37.03M
@ $329.86 · 2025-09-04
HERENA MONIQUE
Officer
$2.83M
@ $325.88 · 2025-09-03
BUCKMINSTER DOUGLAS E
Officer
$7.67M
@ $326.37 · 2025-09-02
SEEGER LAUREEN E
Officer
$23.37M
@ $296.90 · 2025-08-06
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$15.47M
@ $309.50 · 2025-07-29
MARRS ANNA
Officer
$1.71M
@ $310.77 · 2025-07-29
MARQUEZ RAFAEL
Officer
$3.56M
@ $296.93 · 2025-05-20
GROSFIELD HOWARD M
Officer
$2.60M
@ $275.50 · 2025-05-06
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$799,009
@ $264.66 · 2025-04-29
MARRS ANNA
President
$6.32M
@ $287.88 · 2025-03-04
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$897,590
@ $296.43 · 2025-02-26
MCNEAL GLENDA G
Officer
$2.29M
@ $309.96 · 2025-02-11
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$16.24M
@ $319.45 · 2025-02-06
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$3.53M
@ $317.01 · 2025-02-05
RADHAKRISHNAN RAVIKUMAR S
Chief Technology Officer
$3.03M
@ $319.17 · 2025-02-05
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$7.25M
@ $318.69 · 2025-02-05
JOABAR RAYMOND D
Officer
$4.77M
@ $313.94 · 2025-01-28
LE CAILLEC CHRISTOPHE
Chief Financial Officer
$1.82M
@ $303.48 · 2024-11-27
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$48.90M
@ $286.57 · 2024-11-07
HERENA MONIQUE
Officer
$374,010
@ $287.70 · 2024-11-07
BUCKMINSTER DOUGLAS E
Officer
$3.55M
@ $270.98 · 2024-10-29
WILLIAMS ANRE D.
Officer
$21.05M
@ $270.26 · 2024-10-22
PICKETT DENISE
Officer
$666,213
@ $240.68 · 2024-05-22
SKYLER JENNIFER
Officer
$3.58M
@ $241.73 · 2024-05-10
LIEBERMAN QUINN JESSICA
Officer
$729,770
@ $232.41 · 2024-05-06
MARRS ANNA
Officer
$829,501
@ $230.93 · 2024-05-03
BUCKMINSTER DOUGLAS E
Officer
$27.27M
@ $232.44 · 2024-05-02
SQUERI STEPHEN J
Chief Executive Officer
$9.28M
@ $238.63 · 2024-04-23
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
BDX
5
Sells (3M)
16
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $1.61M
FELD MICHAEL
Officer
$13,638
@ $181.84 · 2026-02-26
SCOTT BERTRAM LEE
Director
$174,027
@ $182.61 · 2026-02-18
FELD MICHAEL
Officer
$15,205
@ $202.73 · 2026-01-26
GARRISON MICHAEL DAVID
Officer
$334,005
@ $207.46 · 2026-01-15
FELD MICHAEL
Officer
$14,510
@ $196.08 · 2025-12-26
GARRISON MICHAEL DAVID
Officer
$123,303
@ $196.03 · 2025-12-17
FELD MICHAEL
Officer
$14,502
@ $193.36 · 2025-12-01
SCOTT BERTRAM LEE
Director
$38,318
@ $176.58 · 2025-11-07
FELD MICHAEL
Officer
$10,603
@ $186.02 · 2025-10-27
FELD MICHAEL
Officer
$10,500
@ $181.03 · 2025-09-26
FRASER CLAIRE
Director
$171,938
@ $187.50 · 2025-09-10
FELD MICHAEL
Officer
$11,285
@ $197.98 · 2025-08-22
FRASER CLAIRE
Director
$165,955
@ $192.30 · 2025-08-08
GARRISON MICHAEL DAVID
Officer
$213,645
@ $180.29 · 2025-07-18
SHAN DAVID
Officer
$199,608
@ $171.19 · 2025-06-02
GARRISON MICHAEL DAVID
Officer
$94,497
@ $197.28 · 2025-04-09
BYRD RICHARD
Officer
$105,570
@ $230.00 · 2025-03-18
BYRD RICHARD
Officer
$436,325
@ $224.91 · 2025-03-12
SCOTT BERTRAM LEE
Director
$159,593
@ $227.99 · 2025-02-12
SHAN DAVID
Officer
$120,000
@ $240.00 · 2025-01-21
NEAL SHANA CAROL
Officer
$188,880
@ $240.00 · 2025-01-21
GARRISON MICHAEL DAVID
Officer
$141,196
@ $236.51 · 2025-01-17
NEAL SHANA CAROL
Officer
$185,180
@ $235.00 · 2025-01-07
GARRISON MICHAEL DAVID
Officer
$633,811
@ $223.33 · 2024-12-19
GOETTE ROLAND
Officer
$1.13M
@ $220.76 · 2024-12-09
NEAL SHANA CAROL
Officer
$220,490
@ $220.49 · 2024-12-06
SHAN DAVID
Officer
$330,375
@ $220.25 · 2024-12-05
SPOEREL THOMAS J.
Officer
$71,793
@ $239.31 · 2024-06-10
GOETTE ROLAND
Officer
$781,224
@ $236.73 · 2024-05-15
GOETTE ROLAND
Officer
$781,121
@ $236.70 · 2024-05-13
GARRISON MICHAEL DAVID
Officer
$399,269
@ $232.81 · 2024-04-30
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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AXP
FearGreed
😐Neutral(42/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
BDX
FearGreed
😐Neutral(41/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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AXP
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (42)
BDX
Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (41)
View AXP Full AnalysisView BDX Full Analysis