Boston Scientific
BSX on NYSE. Boston Scientific sells medical devices to hospitals, doctors, and healthcare providers. Market value $61.4bn.
Price checks use the past 12 months to June 2026. Quality checks use five annual reports, the latest for the year to December 2025.
Should I look at this?
Worth a closer look
Why it could be worth it
What to watch out for
Nothing stood out in the numbers we check.
This is not advice. Check the numbers below.
For every $100 of what the whole company costs, it produced $5.90 of spare cash in the past 12 months. A savings account pays about $4.
You pay 17.7 years of operating profit for the business. The average large US company costs around 18.
Each dollar kept in the business earns 6 cents a year. Above 10 is good.
Quality score: 88 of 100. Price score: 88 of 100. Our list needs 70 on quality and 60 on price.
$42.40 a share, at its 1-year low
Over the past year the price has ranged from $41.94 to $105.65.
Pays no dividend
Prices from Monday’s close (5 October).
Five years of cash, in billions
| Revenue | |||||
| Revenue | $11.9bn | $12.7bn | $14.2bn | $16.7bn | $20.1bn |
| Operating margin | |||||
| Operating margin | 10.1% | 13.0% | 16.5% | 15.5% | 18.0% |
| Debt to equity | |||||
| Debt to equity | 0.55 | 0.51 | 0.47 | 0.49 | 0.47 |
| Shares outstanding | |||||
| Shares outstanding | 1.43bn | 1.46bn | 1.47bn | 1.48bn | 1.45bn |
Health checks
- Free cash flow positive5 of 5 years
- Accounting looks honest (Beneish)Nothing unusual
- Financial strength (Piotroski)7 of 8 checks we could run
- Profit backed by cash (accruals)Yes
- Debt0.47× equity
- Revenue growth, five yearsStrong, 15.2% a year
- Buying back its own sharesRoughly flat
The quarter to June 2026
How the business did, compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
- Sales: $5.4 billion last quarter, up 8% on a year ago.
- Profit: $907 million, up 14% on a year ago.
- It keeps 20 cents of each $1 of sales as operating profit, up from 17 cents a year earlier.
- Spare cash over the past 12 months: $3.6 billion, up from $3.5 billion.
- 1% fewer shares than a year ago. Each share owns a bit more of the company.
- Debt is $12.1 billion more than cash, up from $11.1 billion a year ago.
- Sales grew on a year ago in each of the last 4 quarters.
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $4.2bn |
| December 2024 | $4.6bn |
| March 2025 | $4.7bn |
| June 2025 | $5.1bn |
| September 2025 | $5.1bn |
| December 2025 | $5.3bn |
| March 2026 | $5.2bn |
| June 2026 | $5.4bn |
| Quarter to | Amount |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | $469m |
| December 2024 | $565m |
| March 2025 | $674m |
| June 2025 | $797m |
| September 2025 | $755m |
| December 2025 | $672m |
| March 2026 | $1.3bn |
| June 2026 | $907m |
From the company's quarterly reports to the SEC.
Dates
- Next results (estimated)
- 21 October 2026
- Last annual report (10-K)
- 17 February 2026
- Next quarterly (estimated, 10-Q)
- 2 November 2026
Who owns it
11 long-term investors we follow own it, up from 10 last quarter. 1,474 funds in all.
- Dodge & CoxDodge & Cox investment committee
- Value
- $4m
- Share of fund
- <0.1%
| Fund | Value | Share of that fund | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Manhattan Co.First Manhattan partners | $72m | 0.2% | Cut |
| Causeway Capital ManagementSarah Ketterer | $31m | 0.3% | New |
| Mawer Investment ManagementMawer team | $23m | 0.2% | Cut |
| Gotham Asset ManagementJoel Greenblatt | $16m | <0.1% | Cut |
| Diamond Hill Capital ManagementRic Dillon (founder) | $7m | <0.1% | Added |
| Glenview Capital ManagementLarry Robbins | $5m | <0.1% | New |
| Dodge & CoxDodge & Cox investment committee | $4m | <0.1% | |
| GAMCO InvestorsMario Gabelli | $3m | <0.1% | Cut |
| GMOJeremy Grantham | $930,424 | <0.1% | Added |
| Mairs & PowerAndy Adams | $423,130 | <0.1% | Cut |
| Polen CapitalDan Davidowitz | $202,733 | <0.1% | Cut |
Sold out this quarter
Largest holders overall
- BlackRock$5.5bn
- Vanguard Capital Management$4.1bn
- State Street$3.0bnAdded
- Banque Cantonale Vaudoise$2.9bn
- Primecap Management$2.2bnAdded
- FMR$2.0bnCut
- Massachusetts Financial Services$1.5bnAdded
- Geode Capital Management$1.4bn
- Vanguard Portfolio Management$1.3bn
- D. E. Shaw$1.1bnAdded
From 13F filings for the quarter ended 30 June 2026.
Big holders and activists
3 investors own more than 5%.
- BlackRock, Inc.Passive investor7.6%Since 31 March 2025
- Vanguard Capital ManagementPassive investor7.5%Since 31 March 2026
- FMR LLCPassive investorat least 3.1%−2.0 pts(filed with 1 related holder)Since 30 June 2026
- The Vanguard GroupPassive investorSold down below 5%Since 13 March 2026
| Holder | Stake | Since | |
|---|---|---|---|
BlackRock, Inc. Passive investor | 7.6% | 31 March 2025 | |
Vanguard Capital Management Passive investor | 7.5% | 31 March 2026 | |
FMR LLC Passive investor | at least 3.1%−2.0 pts (filed with 1 related holder) | 30 June 2026 | |
The Vanguard Group Passive investor | Sold down below 5% | 13 March 2026 |
From Schedule 13D and 13G filings: anyone owning more than 5% must file one.
What insiders did
In the last 12 months, 5 insiders bought $10m of shares on the open market. 4 sold $24m, $24m of it under preset trading plans.
- Morano Susan EDirectorBought
- Date
- 25 August 2026
- Shares
- 2,040
- Price
- $49.22
- Value
- $100,408
- Habiger David CDirectorBought
- Date
- 5 August 2026
- Shares
- 2,100
- Price
- $47.59
- Value
- $99,937
- Habiger David CDirectorBought
- Date
- 4 August 2026
- Shares
- 140
- Price
- $48.59
- Value
- $6,802
- Habiger David CDirectorBought
- Date
- 3 August 2026
- Shares
- 1,042
- Price
- $48.07
- Value
- $50,084
- Mahoney Michael FChairman, President & CEO, DirectorBought
- Date
- 3 August 2026
- Shares
- 186,240
- Price
- $48.33
- Value
- $9m
- LUDWIG EDWARD JDirectorBought
- Date
- 31 July 2026
- Shares
- 5,000
- Price
- $45.48
- Value
- $227,400
- Pegus CherylDirectorBought
- Date
- 20 May 2026
- Shares
- 1,770
- Price
- $56.49
- Value
- $99,987
- LUDWIG EDWARD JDirectorBought
- Date
- 20 May 2026
- Shares
- 3,580
- Price
- $56.68
- Value
- $202,914
- Habiger David CDirectorBought
- Date
- 20 May 2026
- Shares
- 2,250
- Price
- $55.92
- Value
- $125,820
- Habiger David CDirectorBought
- Date
- 19 May 2026
- Shares
- 2,200
- Price
- $56.95
- Value
- $125,290
| Date | Who | Did | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 August 2026 | Morano Susan E Director | Bought | 2,040 | $49.22 | $100,408 |
| 5 August 2026 | Habiger David C Director | Bought | 2,100 | $47.59 | $99,937 |
| 4 August 2026 | Habiger David C Director | Bought | 140 | $48.59 | $6,802 |
| 3 August 2026 | Habiger David C Director | Bought | 1,042 | $48.07 | $50,084 |
| 3 August 2026 | Mahoney Michael F Chairman, President & CEO, Director | Bought | 186,240 | $48.33 | $9m |
| 31 July 2026 | LUDWIG EDWARD J Director | Bought | 5,000 | $45.48 | $227,400 |
| 20 May 2026 | Pegus Cheryl Director | Bought | 1,770 | $56.49 | $99,987 |
| 20 May 2026 | LUDWIG EDWARD J Director | Bought | 3,580 | $56.68 | $202,914 |
| 20 May 2026 | Habiger David C Director | Bought | 2,250 | $55.92 | $125,820 |
| 19 May 2026 | Habiger David C Director | Bought | 2,200 | $56.95 | $125,290 |
From Form 4 filings: insiders must report trades in their own company's shares within two days.
Warning signs in its filings
Problems the company itself reported to the SEC, in its own words.
None of the warning signs we check for were found.
We look for five warning signs: doubt it can keep going, weak checks on its own accounts, a notice that its past accounts can't be relied on, a change of auditor, and one customer bringing in a big share of sales. We don't check lawsuits, investigations or debt yet.
We checked the auditor's report, internal controls, restatement notices, auditor changes and big customers in the 10-K filed 17 Feb 2026, plus the 10-Q filed 3 Aug 2026 and 12 later 8-Ks.
A 10-K is the yearly report every US company files with the SEC. An 8-K is a short notice of a big event.
What could go wrong
Cheap for a reason is the question the numbers cannot answer.
Whether the price already reflects the risks is what the deep dive is for.
What changed in the risks this year
Companies must list what could hurt them each year. These are the parts that changed since last year’s report.
Changes in tax laws, unfavorable resolution of tax contingencies, or exposure to additional income tax liabilities could have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations and/or liquidity.
Could happenWe are subject to certain U.S. tariffs that are currently subject to legal challenge before the U.S. Supreme Court. The timing and outcome of this litigation are uncertain, and the Court’s decision could result in the modification, invalidation, or continuation of such tariffs. Any modification of existing tariffs, or the introduction of new U.S. tariffs under alternative authorities, on imports from the countries where we do business for an extended period and without specific exemptions for our products, and any reciprocal tariffs or other reactions by other countries thereto, could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, while we have paid tariffs that could potentially be subject to refund depending on the outcome of the litigation, there can be no assurance that any such refund would be realized or, if realized, the timing thereof. Any of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.
Read moreChanges in tax laws, unfavorable resolution of tax contingencies, or exposure to additional income tax liabilities could have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations and/or liquidity.
Could happenMany countries where we do business have implemented into their national laws, a global minimum effective tax rate of 15% based on the Pillar Two framework issued by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Other countries are considering enacting laws consistent with the Pillar Two rules, while others have yet to announce their intention to adopt. The United States has not enacted the Pillar Two global minimum tax and on January 5, 2026, the OECD released new Administrative Guidance that introduced two new safe harbors which would effectively exempt US-based multinational companies and their subsidiaries from certain elements of the OECD global minimum tax framework beginning in 2026. However, these safe harbors must now be legislated domestically by each framework member country in accordance with their own process and timelines. We expect that, if ultimately enacted into law in the relevant countries, the new safe harbors would be beneficial to our tax rate from continuing operations. However, Pillar Two remains enacted law and significant uncertainty exists regarding the implementation of the January 5th guidance as well as the interpretation of the existing Pillar Two rules, whether such rules will be implemented consistently across taxing jurisdictions, how such rules interact with existing national tax laws and whether such rules are consistent with existing tax treaty obligations. Accordingly, the final adoption, implementation, and interpretation of Pillar Two across all jurisdictions where we do business could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Read more
The deep dive
Everything above is arithmetic on public filings. The deep dive reads the last ten years of annual reports, the proxy statements, and the earnings calls, then argues the case the way Buffett, Klarman, and Hohn would, and checks every claim against the source.
- What the business is worth, as a range, and the margin of safety at today’s price
- Prices to start buying, buy, and buy hard
- The three things that would make this a mistake
- Every number footnoted to the filing it came from
It's near its lowest price in a year. The deep dive tells you if that's a bargain or a warning.
Your first deep dive is free.
Not advice. Numbers on this page come from SEC filings and are updated each night; prices are updated again after the US market closes. The five-year figures are rounded.