Stifel Nicolaus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Price

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its target price lowered by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $215.00 to $175.00 in a report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 17.26% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on BDX. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $175.00 price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $184.71.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $149.24 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $127.59 and a 52 week high of $187.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.78, a PEG ratio of 10.90 and a beta of 0.22. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $158.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $181.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.13. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.33% and a return on equity of 15.32%. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.35 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.520-12.720 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the sale, the director owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 1,102 shares of company stock worth $198,909 in the last quarter. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crux Wealth Advisors lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Crux Wealth Advisors now owns 6,297 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,222,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $627,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC now owns 3,545 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $688,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 6,108 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,185,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore raised its price target on BDX from $180 to $190, signaling continued confidence in the company’s outlook. Evercore target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo lifted its price target to $161 from $157, suggesting modest upside from current levels. Wells Fargo target increase
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s earnings beat, revenue beat, and higher profit guidance are supporting the stock’s rebound after the report. BD second-quarter fiscal 2026 financial results
• Neutral Sentiment: BD also appointed Vitor Roque as chief financial officer, a management change that is not clearly positive or negative for the stock. BD appoints Vitor Roque CFO
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel lowered its price target to $175 from $215, which is still above the current share price but reflects a more cautious view. Stifel target cut

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.