Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on BDX. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $233.73 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $234.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.90. The company has a market capitalization of $67.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $224.00 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 in the last ninety days. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $761,798,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 277.3% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,936,654 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $478,295,000 after purchasing an additional 1,423,353 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 242.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,783,769 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $461,158,000 after purchasing an additional 1,263,391 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $173,692,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,927,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,703,041,000 after purchasing an additional 516,427 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.