Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Price Target Lowered to $215.00 at Jefferies Financial Group

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its price objective dropped by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $257.00 to $215.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 20.87% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE BDX opened at $177.88 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $162.29 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $186.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $182.42. The company has a market cap of $50.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25.

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

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 42.6% in the first quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,745 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 174.6% during the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 195,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $44,862,000 after buying an additional 124,522 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 42,224 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $9,672,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grant GrossMendelsohn LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Grant GrossMendelsohn LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $323,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.