Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

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

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a buy rating and a $274.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $280.14.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $231.74 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.98 billion, a PE ratio of 51.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $232.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $236.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.86 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Monday, June 10th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

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.