Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Gap Down to $241.06

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $241.06, but opened at $227.55. Becton, Dickinson and Company shares last traded at $230.10, with a volume of 290,775 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BDX. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Barclays boosted their target price 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. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $69.90 billion, a PE ratio of 53.27, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $232.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $236.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total value of $781,110.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 6,900 shares of company stock worth $1,634,112 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BDX. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 150.0% during the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 316,391 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $72,532,000 after purchasing an additional 189,837 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.1% during the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 413,150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,557,000 after acquiring an additional 23,909 shares during the last quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 30,167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,050,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 811,880 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $189,744,000 after purchasing an additional 86,811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategy Asset Managers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.0% during the 2nd quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 23,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,604,000 after purchasing an additional 3,125 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.