Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) has been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $282.63.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James dropped their price target 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, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $237.51 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $259.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $237.58 and its 200 day moving average is $235.04. The stock has a market cap of $68.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BDX. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Brookstone Capital Management raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.2% in the first quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 11,725 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,901,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $542,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 126.9% in the first quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 236 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 45.2% in the first quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,484 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $365,000 after buying an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. 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.