Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $186.5714.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $167.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 2.0%

BDX opened at $146.30 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.05. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $127.59 and a fifty-two week high of $187.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $160.69 and its 200 day moving average is $181.92. The stock has a market cap of $41.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.65 and a beta of 0.22.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The company had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.43 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the sale, the director owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at $6,713,291.43. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,102 shares of company stock valued at $198,909. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Steph & Co. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95.6% during the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

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.