Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Price Target Lowered to $210.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its price target reduced by Stifel Nicolaus from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research note released on Friday,MarketScreener reports.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on BDX. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $177.88. The company had a trading volume of 3,068,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,454,233. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $162.29 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $182.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.99, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 71.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 1,249 shares of company stock valued at $231,358 in the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth about $3,458,000. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $344,000. Hutchinson Financial Advisors INC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,024,000. Finally, Versor Investments LP lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 73.2% in the 2nd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 4,336 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $747,000 after purchasing an additional 1,833 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by 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.