Jefferies Financial Group Boosts Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Price Target to $220.00

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its price objective upped by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $215.00 to $220.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 15.36% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on BDX. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.91.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE BDX opened at $190.71 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $188.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $184.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $54.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $162.29 and a one year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. Research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 407 shares of company stock valued at $73,922 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,455,790 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,074,750,000 after buying an additional 147,041 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,872,395 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,596,496,000 after acquiring an additional 459,219 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% during the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,575,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,880,510,000 after purchasing an additional 448,644 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.8% during the third quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 9,994,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,870,653,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208,218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.5% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,150,584 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,712,715,000 after purchasing an additional 636,138 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.