JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Price

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its target price upped by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $170.00 to $202.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 4.84% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $195.47.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.2%

BDX stock opened at $212.27 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $170.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $137.35 and a twelve month high of $214.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.49 billion, a PE ratio of 51.27, a PEG ratio of 14.26 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.07 by $0.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 14.90%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 5th that authorizes the company to buy back 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 2,438 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.84, for a total transaction of $440,887.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,686,559.04. The trade was a 14.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Polen, Jr. sold 4,152 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total transaction of $768,120.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 110,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,380,155. The trade was a 3.63% 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. Insiders have sold 6,907 shares of company stock valued at $1,269,128 over the last three months. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pensioenfonds Rail & OV bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth about $4,157,000. IFG Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 10,942 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,959,000 after buying an additional 967 shares in the last quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $216,000. Phoenix Financial Ltd. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 3,671 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $657,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.6% in the 3rd quarter. BankPlus Trust Department now owns 11,730 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,100,000 after buying an additional 5,199 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops and manufactures products used in healthcare, clinical laboratories and life sciences research. Founded in 1897, the company has a long history of producing medical devices and supplies.

BD’s products include syringes, needles, infusion systems and medication-management technologies, as well as equipment and supplies for collecting and processing clinical specimens. The company also provides diagnostic systems, laboratory instruments and tools used in areas such as cell analysis and biomedical research.

Its offerings serve hospitals, clinics, laboratories, researchers and pharmaceutical companies.