Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Barclays

Barclays started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in a report released on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued an overweight rating and a $202.00 target price on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $172.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $196.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $171.55 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $199.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.43. The company has a market cap of $48.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $162.29 and a 12-month high of $235.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 8.01%.Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 68.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,463 shares of company stock worth $501,530. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9,056.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,232,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $979,290,000 after purchasing an additional 5,174,944 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 valued at $5,565,182,000 after purchasing an additional 4,305,947 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23,219.2% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,155,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $769,397,000 after purchasing an additional 4,137,888 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth $653,377,000. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $1,513,421,000 after buying an additional 3,268,478 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Becton, Dickinson and Company

Here are the key news stories impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — adjusted EPS $2.91 vs. $2.81 expected and revenue $5.25B vs. $5.15B, showing organic revenue stability and margin improvement that would normally support the stock. BD Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company announced up to $1.6B in cash tender offers to repurchase certain outstanding debt — a signal of active balance‑sheet management that can reduce leverage and interest burden. Tender Offers for Outstanding Debt Securities
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage with an Overweight and $202 PT — a notable constructive analyst call amid mixed revisions. Barclays Overweight Initiation
• Neutral Sentiment: Spin-off/combination with Waters completed — a structural change that reduces BD’s scale and alters its earnings base; investors are re‑valuing the “New BD” through guidance and cash deployment plans. Spin-off/Combination Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders placed bullish option bets (reported) — a small positive signal of insider confidence but not large enough to move fundamentals alone. Insider Option Activity
• Negative Sentiment: Company cut FY26 adjusted EPS guidance to $12.35–$12.65, well below consensus (~$14.8) — the guidance reset (reflecting the divestiture) is the primary negative driver pushing the stock lower as investors adjust earnings models. Profit Forecast Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple broker price‑target cuts and rating adjustments (JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Jefferies, RBC and others) compress sentiment — several firms lowered PTs or shifted to neutral/equal‑weight, increasing selling pressure. Analyst Price Target Moves
• Negative Sentiment: Company flagged a reduced profit outlook tied to the sale/combination of its biosciences & diagnostics unit — the near‑term EPS hit and uncertainty around cash deployment timing weigh on valuation. Sale‑Related Profit Outlook

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.