Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Sets New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) shares hit a new 52-week high on Thursday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $196.70 and last traded at $195.7040, with a volume of 43,873 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $194.34.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on BDX. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore set a $180.00 price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $185.07.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 2,438 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.84, for a total value of $440,887.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,686,559.04. This represents a 14.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total transaction of $31,100.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 19,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,717,022.80. This represents a 0.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 6,906 shares of company stock valued at $1,265,855 over the last quarter. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BDX. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,721,533,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,000,064 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,269,960,000 after buying an additional 1,177,256 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.8% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 13,815,335 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,090,675,000 after purchasing an additional 1,887,224 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth about $474,993,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,101,695 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $318,050,000 after purchasing an additional 30,766 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.93, a PEG ratio of 13.51 and a beta of 0.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $185.41 and its 200 day moving average is $165.10.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 4.52%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.68 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 9th were paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 126.51%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of products used by healthcare providers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical companies and patients. Its offerings support medication delivery, diagnostics, infection prevention, surgical care and other clinical procedures.

BD’s products include needles, syringes, injection devices, intravenous administration systems, medication-management technologies, specimen-collection products, diagnostic systems and laboratory instruments.