Critical Survey: Lancer Orthodontics (OTCMKTS:LANZ) versus Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Lancer Orthodontics (OTCMKTS:LANZ) and Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) are both medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

87.0% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are held by institutional investors. 24.3% of Lancer Orthodontics shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Lancer Orthodontics and Becton, Dickinson and Company, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lancer Orthodontics	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 $203.27, indicating a potential upside of 7.24%. Given Becton, Dickinson and Company’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Becton, Dickinson and Company is more favorable than Lancer Orthodontics.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Lancer Orthodontics and Becton, Dickinson and Company”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lancer Orthodontics	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Becton, Dickinson and Company	$21.84 billion	2.49	$1.71 billion	$5.83	32.51

Becton, Dickinson and Company has higher revenue and earnings than Lancer Orthodontics.

Risk and Volatility

Lancer Orthodontics has a beta of 0.93, meaning that its share price is 7% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a beta of 0.25, meaning that its share price is 75% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lancer Orthodontics	N/A	N/A	N/A
Becton, Dickinson and Company	7.51%	16.23%	7.46%

Summary

Becton, Dickinson and Company beats Lancer Orthodontics on 8 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Lancer Orthodontics

Lancer Orthodontics, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets orthodontic products for orthodontists and dentists worldwide. It offers aesthetic brackets, brackets and buccal tubes, bands, adhesives, wires, elastomerics, intraoral and extraoral appliances, instruments, and miscellaneous products. The company was founded in 1967 and is based in Vista, California.

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.