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

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $279.50.

BDX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE BDX traded up $1.51 on Friday, reaching $235.90. The stock had a trading volume of 801,158 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,451,096. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $283.78. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $233.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $236.26. The company has a market capitalization of $68.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.96 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,900 shares of company stock worth $1,634,112. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

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.