Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $195.4615.

A number of research firms have recently commented on BDX. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $182.82 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $127.59 and a twelve month high of $185.02. The company has a 50 day moving average of $198.01 and a 200-day moving average of $192.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.52%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total value of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 36,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,509,228.70. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,416 shares of company stock worth $675,557. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Steph & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95.6% during the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

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.