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

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $196.00.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Barclays initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 2,463 shares of company stock valued at $501,530 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. 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. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Steph & Co. increased 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company

Here are the key news stories impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BD closed its biosciences & diagnostics spin-off and merged that business with Waters, generating roughly $4 billion in proceeds and repositioning BD as a pure-play medical technology company — a strategic de‑risking that analysts and investors view favorably. BD Merges Biosciences & Diagnostics Business With Waters
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 FY2026: BD reported sales of ~$5.25B and EPS above consensus, and provided FY guidance — the beat + guidance underpin the bullish re-rating and help explain the intraday strength. BD (NYSE:BDX) Surprises With Q4 CY2025 Sales
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile endorsement: Jim Cramer publicly voiced support for the “new company” after the spin-off, which can boost retail interest and sentiment. Jim Cramer on Becton, Dickinson: “I kind of really like the new company”
• Positive Sentiment: BD launched cash tender offers to repurchase up to $1.6B of its outstanding debt, a move that can improve debt maturity profile and credit metrics. Investors often view targeted buybacks of debt as a constructive use of proceeds post‑spin. Becton Dickinson Launches $1.6 Billion Debt Tender Offers
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and notes: Barclays initiated coverage with an Overweight and $202 PT (positive signal), while other firms adjusted targets — see items below; overall analyst activity is mixed and keeping volatility elevated. Barclays Overweight Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and post‑spin analysis provide more detail on margins, capital allocation and guidance assumptions for investors doing deeper due diligence. Q1 2026 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Several high‑profile firms trimmed price targets or ratings: Wells Fargo cut its PT to $157 and moved to Equal Weight (notable downside from prior levels), and JPMorgan lowered its PT to $175 and maintained Neutral — these cuts add sell‑side caution. Analyst Target Changes (Wells Fargo / JPMorgan)
• Negative Sentiment: Other shops pared targets (RBC, Jefferies, Citi had updates); although many keep Buy/Overweight stances, the lower targets reflect uncertainty around near‑term margin recovery and the pace of capital deployment after the spin. Are Wall Street Analysts Bullish on Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock?

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 5.1%

NYSE:BDX opened at $180.39 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $199.49 and its 200 day moving average is $192.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $162.29 and a 12 month high of $235.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.36 billion, a PE ratio of 29.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.The business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.43 earnings per share. The business’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. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.