Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning.

Several other research analysts have also commented on BDX. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $227.96 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $65.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $232.27 and a 200-day moving average of $231.87.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $105,570.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,598,960. This represents a 6.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. This represents a 9.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Norges Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $775,139,000 after purchasing an additional 2,722,829 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,004,132,000 after buying an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,401,126,000 after buying an additional 810,345 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

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.