Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $205.6364.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Argus upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total transaction of $123,302.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,568,973.15. This represents a 4.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the sale, the director directly owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 978 shares of company stock worth $186,725 over the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of BDX. AIA Group Ltd grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 3,589 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $672,000 after buying an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 13,222 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,382 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $37,000. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $625,000. Finally, Graybill Wealth Management LTD. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 47.3% during the third quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. now owns 27,592 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,164,000 after purchasing an additional 8,859 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $196.23 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $162.29 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $190.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $186.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.91 billion, a PE ratio of 33.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.04%.

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.