StockNews.com Upgrades Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $235.90 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $233.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $236.26. The company has a market capitalization of $68.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.85. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $283.78.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,676,942.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,676,942.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.