Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Gap Down Following Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on the stock from $190.00 to $175.00. The stock had previously closed at $207.39, but opened at $165.98. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Becton, Dickinson and Company shares last traded at $168.6950, with a volume of 512,785 shares changing hands.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Monday. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $233.00 price target for the company. Barclays began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $202.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total value of $334,010.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,509,228.70. This represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 2,463 shares of company stock worth $501,530 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

More Becton, Dickinson and Company News

Here are the key news stories impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat street estimates — adjusted EPS $2.91 vs. consensus ~ $2.81 and revenue ~$5.25B topped estimates; margins expanded even as y/y adjusted profit declined. BD Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: BD completed the combination of its Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions business with Waters, executing a strategic portfolio simplification that comes with a planned $4B cash deployment for the newly positioned “New BD.” BD Completes Combination of Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions Business with Waters Corporation
• Positive Sentiment: Insider activity showed bullish option/stock bets recently, which can signal management/insider confidence in the post-transaction path. Becton Dickinson Insiders Placed Bullish Bets
• Neutral Sentiment: New analyst coverage from Barclays: started coverage with an “Overweight” rating but set a $202 price target (below recent levels), reflecting mixed views on valuation post-transaction.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company provided FY2026 EPS guidance for the reorganized New BD (EPS $12.35–$12.65) and affirmed revenue growth guidance — the range reflects the accounting and structural effects of the spin-off and cash deployment plans. BD Outlines $12.35–$12.65 EPS Guidance for 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Management cut its annual profit forecast to reflect the sale/spin-off of the biosciences & diagnostics unit — that reduction materially lowers FY26 EPS vs. prior consensus and is the main driver of the negative market reaction. Becton Dickinson cuts annual profit forecast (Reuters)
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares fell after the print — investors focused on the lowered FY26 EPS outlook and the impact of the transaction, which overshadowed the underlying beat and margin improvement. Shares fall as guidance overshadows beat

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $734,321,000. Hilltop Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $397,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $33,475,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $617,000. Finally, National Pension Service grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 463,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $89,862,000 after purchasing an additional 18,333 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $200.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.43 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.350-12.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 72.04%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 27th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.