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

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Buy" from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $275.71.

BDX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $279.00 to $261.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,078 shares of company stock valued at $915,986. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BDX. NBT Bank N A NY boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 3,921 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $898,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. Chicago Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $227,000. Inscription Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $360,000. Louisbourg Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 36,510 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $8,363,000 after buying an additional 1,745 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,272 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,124,000 after acquiring an additional 789 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.0 %

BDX stock opened at $198.50 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $193.03 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm's fifty day moving average is $221.46 and its 200 day moving average is $228.87. The firm has a market cap of $56.99 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.

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