Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Upgraded at The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) to a hold rating in a research report released on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Argus dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $230.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 target price (down from $205.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $154.07 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $170.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $185.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $43.87 billion, a PE ratio of 25.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.97 and a beta of 0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $127.59 and a 1 year high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 15.76%. The firm had revenue of $4.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.43 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate 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 has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 953 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.61, for a total transaction of $174,027.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 36,763 shares in the company, valued at $6,713,291.43. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction of $334,010.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 2,713 shares of company stock valued at $536,881 in the last quarter. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Steph & Co. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95.6% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.