Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Stifel Nicolaus Analyst Says

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its target price lifted by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $210.00 to $215.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 4.26% from the company’s previous close.

BDX has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $207.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $206.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.76 billion, a PE ratio of 35.41, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.23. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $191.68 and its 200 day moving average is $187.67. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $162.29 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total transaction of $123,302.87. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,568,973.15. This trade represents a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the sale, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 1,052 shares of company stock valued at $201,235 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $344,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth $983,000. Covea Finance increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.7% in the third quarter. Covea Finance now owns 78,847 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,758,000 after buying an additional 7,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 905,757 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $169,531,000 after buying an additional 17,844 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.