Research analysts at KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Becton Dickinson and (NYSE:BDX) in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set an “overweight” rating and a $260.00 price target on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. KeyCorp’s price target suggests a potential upside of 17.07% from the stock’s previous close.
A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Becton Dickinson and from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Becton Dickinson and in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank set a $260.00 target price on Becton Dickinson and and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 29th. Argus raised their target price on Becton Dickinson and to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 14th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Becton Dickinson and in a report on Friday, November 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Becton Dickinson and presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $230.20.
Becton Dickinson and (NYSE:BDX) traded up $1.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $222.08. The stock had a trading volume of 1,423,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,195,202. Becton Dickinson and has a 52 week low of $164.94 and a 52 week high of $229.68. The company has a quick ratio of 5.03, a current ratio of 5.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a market capitalization of $58,875.11, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.76, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.07.
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Becton Dickinson and by 8.5% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,255,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,366,809,000 after buying an additional 1,353,780 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Becton Dickinson and by 3.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,270,221 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,003,834,000 after buying an additional 342,873 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Becton Dickinson and by 4.0% in the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,813,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $549,028,000 after buying an additional 106,966 shares during the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp increased its position in Becton Dickinson and by 7.1% in the second quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,782,146 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $542,825,000 after buying an additional 183,372 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fundsmith LLP increased its position in Becton Dickinson and by 0.3% in the second quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 2,302,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $449,258,000 after buying an additional 5,977 shares during the last quarter. 87.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Becton Dickinson and Company Profile
Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) is a global medical technology company engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of a range of medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment and diagnostic products. The Company operates through two segments: BD Medical and BD Life Sciences. The BD Medical segment produces an array of medical technologies and devices that are used to help improve healthcare delivery in a range of settings.
