Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $187.92 and last traded at $186.7470, with a volume of 409092 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $180.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $190.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $156.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $177.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $185.67.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 3.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.09, a PEG ratio of 12.93 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $159.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $161.12.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 4.52%.The business had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 9th will be given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 126.51%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 2,438 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.84, for a total value of $440,887.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,686,559.04. The trade was a 14.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.66, for a total transaction of $160,226.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,918,633.52. The trade was a 7.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 11,779 shares of company stock valued at $1,974,669 over the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 152.2% in the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 169 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Main Street Group LTD bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

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.