Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Receives Consensus Rating of "Buy" from Brokerages

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the six brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $283.50.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded down $1.61 during trading on Friday, hitting $225.56. The company had a trading volume of 2,747,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,459,641. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $231.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.38.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. Equities analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 195,858 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $47,221,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $457,000. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $522,000. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.1% during the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 101,600 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $24,497,000 after buying an additional 2,057 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.8% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 9,017 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,174,000 after buying an additional 808 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.