BD
BECTON DICKINSON & CO (BDX)·Q3 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q3 revenue was $5.51B (+10.4% reported; +8.5% FXN) and adjusted EPS was $3.68 (+5.1% YoY); adjusted gross margin reached 54.8% and adjusted operating margin 25.8% driven by BD Excellence .
- Results beat Wall Street consensus: EPS $3.68 vs $3.40 and revenue $5.51B vs $5.49B; EBITDA $1.60B vs $1.58B. Bold beat on EPS and modest revenue/EBITDA beats. Values retrieved from S&P Global.*
- Full-year FY25 adjusted EPS guidance was raised to $14.30–$14.45 (midpoint +$0.18) while organic revenue growth guidance was reaffirmed at 3.0%–3.5% .
- Catalysts: BD Excellence (highest OTIF levels in 5 years), APM (critical care) strength (+13% pro forma), PureWick double-digit growth, and continued progress toward separating Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions via Waters combination; management expects to complete the remaining $250M of the $1B buyback by FY25 year-end .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Margin execution: “BD Excellence lean operating system remains a flywheel… delivering Q3 adjusted gross margin of 54.8%… and $3.68 in adjusted diluted EPS, each exceeded our expectations.”
- Advanced Patient Monitoring (APM): “APM delivered 13% pro forma growth ahead of our deal model,” driven by strong execution and new product innovation (HemoSphere Alta) .
- Urology & Critical Care (UCC)/PureWick: Strong double-digit growth; continued adoption of Male and Female portfolios; PureWick Flex at Home ramping .
What Went Wrong
- Life Sciences softness: BD Life Sciences revenues declined (-0.5% YoY) with DS impacted by point-of-care testing and BACTEC blood culture; BDB impacted by instrument demand in China/Europe despite reagent strength .
- China and specific pharma subsegments: Ongoing VBP pressure in China and volatility in generic anticoagulants and vaccines within Pharmaceutical Systems; IV fluid shortage impacted MDS volumes .
- Tariffs weigh on Q4: FY25 tariff impact ~$90M (~2% EPS growth headwind), predominantly in Q4, implying a slight sequential step-down in operating margin due to investment timing and tariffs .
Financial Results
Segment revenues and mix:
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Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “We increased our organic growth trajectory in Q3 while delivering strong margin and EPS growth fueled by BD Excellence, enabling us to raise our EPS guidance and reaffirm organic revenue growth expectations for the full year.” — Tom Polen, CEO
- “Adjusted gross margin of 54.8%, up 50 bps YoY… adjusted operating margin of 25.8%, up 60 bps YoY… $3.68 in adjusted diluted EPS, each exceeded our expectations.” — Christopher DelOrefice, CFO
- “APM delivered 13% pro forma growth ahead of our deal model… driven by strong commercial execution, incremental selling investment… and new product innovation including HemoSphere Alta.” — CFO
- “Customer service levels measured as OTIF reached their highest level in over five years… reducing manufacturing waste by more than 35%… creating capacity to produce an additional 2.5 billion units on the same production lines.” — CEO
- “We raised our adjusted EPS guidance by $0.18 at the midpoint… EPS guidance continues to include an estimated tariff impact of about $90 million or 2% to EPS growth for the full year, predominantly weighted to Q4.” — CFO
Q&A Highlights
- Margin phasing: Management flagged a slight sequential step-down in Q4 operating margin due to timing of growth investments and Q4-weighted tariffs; gross margin expected roughly flat YoY despite ~$90M tariffs, underscoring BD Excellence productivity .
- New BD growth framework: Post-separation RemainCo aims for mid-single-digit-plus growth supported by APM, UCC, PS biologics, and Connected Care deployment; share buybacks expected to be EPS accretive .
- UCC/PureWick trajectory: No one-time items; strong underlying momentum with Male PureWick scaling faster than Female; innovation roadmap includes mobile/wireless PureWick products .
- FY26 tariffs: Early view ~ $275M impact, better than previously assumed, with ongoing mitigation (sourcing/location changes, USMCA compliance) to reduce net effects .
Estimates Context
Values retrieved from S&P Global.*
Implications: EPS beat driven by margin execution and operating leverage; modest revenue/EBITDA beats reflect UCC/APM strength offsetting LS headwinds. Near-term estimate revisions likely to lift FY25 EPS and margin assumptions, with Q4 investment/tariff phasing considered .
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Quality of earnings remains strong: BD Excellence is offsetting inflation/tariff headwinds and funding growth investments; margins expanded YoY and operating margin improved QoQ to 25.8% .
- Portfolio catalysts: APM integration/innovation, Pyxis Pro + Ancata AI, PureWick expansion, PS biologics (GLP-1 exposure) underpin an improving sequential growth trajectory .
- Guidance risk skew: EPS raised; organic growth reaffirmed. Watch Q4 tariffs (~$90M) and incremental selling/marketing investment pacing, implying modest QoQ margin step-down .
- Life Sciences recovery path: Instrument demand remains soft in China/Europe; BACTEC utilization >80% and MAX IVD double-digit growth suggest DS recovery into Q4, supporting FY25 LS trajectory .
- Capital deployment: Remaining $250M buyback to finish by FY25 end; dividend cadence remains intact ($1.04 payable Sep 30) .
- Strategic separation: Transaction with Waters to combine BDB/DS progressing; management positioning “New BD” as a pure-play medtech with high recurring revenue, margin expansion and focused capital allocation .
- Trading setup: EPS/margin beats and raised guidance are near-term positives; monitor tariff evolution, China VBP, and LS demand normalization for sustained estimate momentum .