Brokerages Set Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Price Target at $283.00

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) has been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $283.00.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. This represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,617 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,716,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 33.8% in the second quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,426 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 58,880 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,196,000 after purchasing an additional 3,808 shares during the period. Finally, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% in the third quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 4,085 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $985,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $242.01 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $230.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.74, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.