Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Receives $279.50 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $279.50.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Citigroup decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $237.22 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $269.52. The company has a market capitalization of $68.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.42. The business’s 50 day moving average is $234.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.82.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $451,641,000 after purchasing an additional 68,509 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% in the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $99,562,000 after purchasing an additional 18,786 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% in the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,853,000 after purchasing an additional 49,559 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $11,998,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the first quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,257,000 after purchasing an additional 5,527 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.