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

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $205.40.

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $211.00 target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, October 16th.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

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 value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold a total of 1,895 shares of company stock valued at $358,995 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,565,182,000 after buying an additional 4,305,947 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,575,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,880,510,000 after acquiring an additional 448,644 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,150,584 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,712,715,000 after purchasing an additional 636,138 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 3,268,478 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,723,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,153,157,000 after purchasing an additional 244,199 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $177.20 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $50.79 billion, a PE ratio of 31.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $188.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $182.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.