Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Buy" by the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $283.00.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BDX. State Street Corp raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,953,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,364,096,000 after purchasing an additional 106,616 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,285,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,510,050,000 after buying an additional 111,101 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,293,635,000 after buying an additional 460,440 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,055,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,181,483,000 after acquiring an additional 302,893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,412,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,031,167,000 after acquiring an additional 346,720 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX traded down $1.37 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $222.73. The stock had a trading volume of 1,379,181 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,409,833. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.37, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $249.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $236.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $234.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 63.97%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.