Analysts Expect Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) to Post $2.99 Earnings Per Share

Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Rating) will report earnings of $2.99 per share for the current quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Nine analysts have issued estimates for Becton, Dickinson and’s earnings, with the highest EPS estimate coming in at $3.15 and the lowest estimate coming in at $2.75. Becton, Dickinson and reported earnings of $3.19 per share in the same quarter last year, which would indicate a negative year over year growth rate of 6.3%. The firm is expected to issue its next earnings results before the market opens on Monday, January 1st.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and will report full year earnings of $12.82 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $12.08 to $13.00. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the company will report earnings of $13.67 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $12.14 to $14.11. Zacks’ EPS averages are an average based on a survey of analysts that follow Becton, Dickinson and.

Becton, Dickinson and (NYSE:BDX – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 3rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.78. The business had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.76 billion. Becton, Dickinson and had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 14.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.55 earnings per share.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Argus lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and from $275.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, February 28th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and in a research note on Thursday, March 31st. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and in a research note on Tuesday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 11th. Finally, SVB Leerink lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $276.25.

Becton, Dickinson and stock traded up $0.74 during trading on Friday, reaching $271.68. The company had a trading volume of 921,740 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,139,417. Becton, Dickinson and has a 12-month low of $235.13 and a 12-month high of $280.62. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $267.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $255.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.00, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.23.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.87 per share. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 9th. Becton, Dickinson and’s payout ratio is 60.21%.

In other news, EVP Alexandre Conroy sold 6,410 shares of Becton, Dickinson and stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.16, for a total value of $1,731,725.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 841 shares of Becton, Dickinson and stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.70, for a total transaction of $228,499.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,625 shares of company stock worth $5,868,516 in the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TD Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and by 1.7% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 214,740 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $52,787,000 after acquiring an additional 3,486 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and during the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. NTV Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and by 11.3% during the third quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,596,000 after acquiring an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. FIL Ltd lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and by 174.6% during the third quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 340,420 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $83,682,000 after acquiring an additional 216,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinebridge Investments L.P. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and by 6.8% during the third quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 42,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,330,000 after acquiring an additional 2,676 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.66% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile (Get Rating)

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's BD Medical segment offers peripheral intravenous (IV) and advanced peripheral catheters, central lines, acute dialysis catheters, vascular care and preparation products, needle-free IV connectors and extensions sets, closed-system drug transfer devices, hazardous drug detections, hypodermic syringes and needles, anesthesia needles and trays, enteral syringes, and sharps disposal systems; IV medication and infusion therapy delivery systems, medication compounding workflow systems, automated medication dispensing and supply management systems, and medication inventory optimization and tracking systems; syringes, pen needles, and other products for diabetes; and prefillable drug delivery systems.

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