StockNews.com Upgrades Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) to “Buy”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $224.17 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $233.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $232.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $64.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.24, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Probity Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 1,555 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,328.2% during the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 219,222 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $49,735,000 after acquiring an additional 203,873 shares in the last quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,273,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.