Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Price Target Raised to $202.00

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its price objective increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $170.00 to $202.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

BDX has been the subject of several other research reports. Barclays started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $208.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $195.47.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $212.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $58.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.27, a P/E/G ratio of 14.26 and a beta of 0.22. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $137.35 and a 52-week high of $214.88. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $188.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $170.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.07 by $0.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.90% and a net margin of 5.66%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, November 5th that allows the company to buy back 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 10th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 126.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total value of $31,100.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,720 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,717,022.80. This represents a 0.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 2,438 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.84, for a total value of $440,887.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,686,559.04. This trade represents a 14.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 6,907 shares of company stock worth $1,269,128. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13,900.0% in the 3rd quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 140 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops and manufactures products used in healthcare, clinical laboratories and life sciences research. Founded in 1897, the company has a long history of producing medical devices and supplies.

BD’s products include syringes, needles, infusion systems and medication-management technologies, as well as equipment and supplies for collecting and processing clinical specimens. The company also provides diagnostic systems, laboratory instruments and tools used in areas such as cell analysis and biomedical research.

Its offerings serve hospitals, clinics, laboratories, researchers and pharmaceutical companies.