Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Reaches New 12-Month Low - What's Next?

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $211.81 and last traded at $213.20, with a volume of 949886 shares. The stock had previously closed at $221.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $275.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 4.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $60.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.81, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $227.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $230.68.

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Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Jeffrey William Henderson bought 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $233.62 per share, for a total transaction of $350,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,872,464.30. The trade was a 23.02 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,196 shares of company stock worth $962,685. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BDX. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,067,196,000 after acquiring an additional 184,288 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,751,187,000 after acquiring an additional 3,219,317 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,437,161,000 after buying an additional 66,024 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,401,126,000 after buying an additional 810,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

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.