Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Price Target Cut to $210.00 by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its target price cut by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 18.06% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on BDX. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Argus upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of BDX stock opened at $177.88 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $162.29 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $186.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $182.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $50.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% in the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management grew 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 463.3% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.