Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $205.6364.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $195.49 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $189.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $185.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $162.29 and a 12 month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.04%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total transaction of $123,302.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,568,973.15. This represents a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,036 shares of company stock worth $197,225. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,455,790 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,074,750,000 after purchasing an additional 147,041 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,872,395 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,596,496,000 after purchasing an additional 459,219 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,870,653,000 after buying an additional 1,208,218 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.5% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,150,584 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,712,715,000 after buying an additional 636,138 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,723,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,153,157,000 after buying an additional 244,199 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.