Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Receives $205.40 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $205.40.

A number of research firms have commented on BDX. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price target on the stock. Argus boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $186.41 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $163.33 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $190.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $185.73. The firm has a market cap of $53.43 billion, a PE ratio of 33.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The company had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 74.82%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,023 shares of company stock valued at $562,036 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,565,182,000 after purchasing an additional 4,305,947 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,513,421,000 after buying an additional 3,268,478 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $689,833,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,514,446 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,466,613,000 after acquiring an additional 1,670,590 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.