Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $195.4615.

A number of research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective 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, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $172.00 price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $184.00 to $157.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th.

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 company’s 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 approximately $6,713,291.43. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction 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 $2,509,228.70. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,416 shares of company stock valued at $674,693. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Steph & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 95.6% in the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying 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 approximately $26,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $167.31 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $47.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.29, a PEG ratio of 12.12 and a beta of 0.24. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $193.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $191.16. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $127.59 and a twelve month high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.43 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 68.52%.

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.