Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Gap Down Following Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday after Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on the stock from $220.00 to $190.00. The stock had previously closed at $207.39, but opened at $165.98. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Becton, Dickinson and Company shares last traded at $168.6950, with a volume of 512,785 shares trading hands.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 price objective (down previously from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $233.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $196.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 2,463 shares of company stock valued at $501,530 over the last ninety days. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Becton, Dickinson and Company News

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth about $344,000. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 88.2% in the 3rd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,794 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,084,000 after purchasing an additional 2,715 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $650,000. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 40.6% in the 3rd quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,954,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $553,068,000 after purchasing an additional 852,854 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $199.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $192.43. The stock has a market cap of $48.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.