Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in a report published on Thursday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a sector perform rating and a $211.00 target price on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Barclays reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $213.09.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $180.86 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $163.33 and a one year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $51.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.53, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $188.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $189.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.50 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.300-14.450 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 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 Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 74.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This trade represents a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,965 shares of company stock worth $551,536. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,565,182,000 after purchasing an additional 4,305,947 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $653,377,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,513,421,000 after acquiring an additional 3,268,478 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $689,833,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,514,446 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,466,613,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670,590 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.