Analysts generally think investors should stand pat on Becton Dickinson, with 10 of 19 analysts rating it hold.

FORBES: Earnings Preview: Becton Dickinson

Becton Dickinson (BDX) reports its first quarter earnings on Tuesday, February 5, 2013.

FORBES: Earnings Preview: Becton Dickinson

The board replaced him with an outsider: Ray Gilmartin, from syringemaker Becton Dickinson.

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Becton Dickinson (BDX) reports its fourth quarter earnings on Wednesday, November 7, 2012.

FORBES: Earnings Preview: Becton Dickinson

Competitors in the space include Becton Dickinson (BDX) and Abbott Laboratories (ABT).

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Thus Becton Dickinson ( BDX) more than doubled revenue (and tripled profits) during the past decade, but employment at the medical products company edged up all of 16%.

FORBES: By Jeff Bailey

This, of course, coincides with his tenure not only at Merck, but also Becton-Dickinson.

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Going a step better, Millennium and Becton, Dickinson will soon introduce a test to predict which cases of melanoma, a nasty form of skin cancer, will metastasize.

FORBES: Divining Disease

Stryker Corp. (SYK) : While not a fan of complex technology, Buffett has shown a willingness to invest in medical technology firms, including Becton, Dickinson (BDX).

FORBES: Three Stocks That Should Be On Buffett's Radar

Meanwhile, as Pfizer had to conduct long safety studies to deal with the lung capacity issue, insulin shots got less painful as companies like Becton, Dickinson developed less painful needles and drug firms started to market insulin in easy-to-use pre-packaged "pen" devices.

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