Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $279.50.

Several equities research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Raymond James dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,832 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,641,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 125,972 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,716,000 after buying an additional 5,519 shares in the last quarter. Lincoln National Corp raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 4,346 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,060,000 after buying an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,571,143 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $383,092,000 after buying an additional 31,987 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gryphon Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $237.22 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.57 billion, a PE ratio of 52.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The business has a 50-day moving average of $234.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.82. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

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.