Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What do you think of medical companies Becton Dickinson and Stryker? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Becton Dickinson & Co., $95.52, symbol BDX on New York (Shares outstanding: 194.0 million; Market cap: $18.5 billion; www.bd.com), operates in three segments: Medical, which supplies 53% of the company’s sales, makes a broad array of devices for hospitals, doctors’ offices and other health care clients; Diagnostics (33%) sells products for collecting and shipping specimens, as well as equipment for detecting diseases; and Biosciences (14%) makes tools for studying cells. In early 2012, Becton sold its laboratory-products division to Corning (New York symbol GLW) for $730 million. This business made plastic and glass products for labs, including tubes, petri dishes and flasks. The sale removed a stable business from Becton, but it’s letting it focus on operations with stronger growth potential. For the quarter ended December 31, 2012, Becton reported a profit of $625.4 million, or $3.13 a share, up sharply from $263 million, or $1.21 a share, a year earlier. Revenue increased 3.7% to $1.9 billion. The stock yields 2.1%. Becton…