Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Rating) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $276.60.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler upgraded Becton, Dickinson and from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 4th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and from $282.00 to $284.00 in a research report on Monday, May 8th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Biltmore Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and in the 4th quarter valued at $464,988,000. Red Tortoise LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Heritage Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and by 152.4% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Wealth Management LLC now owns 106 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and by 105.6% in the 4th quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 111 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.08% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and stock opened at $251.57 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $250.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $246.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and has a 12 month low of $215.90 and a 12 month high of $269.06. The company has a market capitalization of $71.45 billion, a PE ratio of 47.20, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.54.

Becton, Dickinson and (NYSE:BDX – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.67 billion. Becton, Dickinson and had a net margin of 8.59% and a return on equity of 12.98%. The company’s revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.18 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and will post 12.19 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 9th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 8th. Becton, Dickinson and’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.29%.

About Becton, Dickinson and

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Becton, Dickinson & Co engages in the development, manufacture, and sale of medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products. It operates through the following segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional. The BD Medical segment produces medical technologies and devices that are used to help improve healthcare delivery.