Analysts Set Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Target Price at $280.00

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $280.00.

Several research analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Barclays boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Raymond James boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $241.16 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $229.85 and a twelve month high of $287.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $240.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $243.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.67 billion, a PE ratio of 57.15, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.98 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Triangle Securities Wealth Management raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Triangle Securities Wealth Management now owns 8,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,030,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 1,156 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Inscription Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 67.2% in the 1st quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 1,455 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares during the period. Trust Co of the South acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $545,000. Finally, Selway Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.7% in the 1st quarter. Selway Asset Management now owns 17,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,454,000 after acquiring an additional 4,225 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.