Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Rating Increased to Hold at Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) to a hold rating in a report published on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on BDX. Evercore set a $180.00 price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Barclays raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $198.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $185.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $176.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.17, a PEG ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 0.19. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $154.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $162.51. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 4.52% and a return on equity of 14.84%. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.68 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.62 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 106.33%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.66, for a total transaction of $160,226.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,918,633.52. This represents a 7.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 2,764 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total transaction of $404,511.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,122,355.05. This represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,189 shares of company stock worth $765,661. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22,225.2% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 40,711,035 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $790,079,000 after purchasing an additional 40,528,680 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,678,939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,118,282,000 after buying an additional 4,223,149 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $3,721,533,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,989,132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,714,871,000 after acquiring an additional 116,737 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 11,646,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,260,139,000 after acquiring an additional 1,651,592 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Becton, Dickinson and Company

Here are the key news stories impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results beat estimates. Fiscal Q3 revenue rose 5.4% year over year to approximately $5.0 billion, exceeding the $4.89 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $3.23 also surpassed expectations of $3.14, with growth across BD’s core medical and interventional businesses. BD Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: BD raised its fiscal 2026 outlook. The company now expects adjusted EPS of $12.62 to $12.72, above the prior outlook and the roughly $12.56 analyst consensus. Management also expects revenue growth toward the high end of its range and is targeting 90% free-cash-flow conversion. Year-to-date operating cash flow increased 33.3% to $2.1 billion, while free cash flow rose 44.6% to $1.7 billion. BD raises FY 2026 adjusted EPS guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup became more bullish. Citi raised its price target from $198 to $204 and assigned a “buy” rating, implying meaningful upside based on the cited reference price.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain divided. Piper Sandler lifted its target to $175 but maintained a “neutral” rating, while Wells Fargo raised its target to $170 and kept an “equal weight” rating. Both targets remain below the cited share price, limiting the positive impact of the revisions.
• Negative Sentiment: Margins and earnings comparisons are concerns. Although revenue and adjusted earnings beat forecasts, margins declined and adjusted EPS fell from $3.68 in the year-earlier quarter. The stock’s elevated valuation may also make investors more sensitive to profitability pressure.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.