Wells Fargo & Company Increases Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Price Target to $170.00

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its price objective boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $161.00 to $170.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price would suggest a potential downside of 3.46% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $175.00 in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $177.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, June 12th. Barclays raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $156.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $184.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $176.10 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $153.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $162.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $127.59 and a 1 year high of $187.35. The firm has a market cap of $48.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.60, a PEG ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 0.19.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.37% and a net margin of 5.33%.The business’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.68 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 2,764 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total transaction of $404,511.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,122,355.05. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.66, for a total value of $160,226.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,918,633.52. This trade represents a 7.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 5,189 shares of company stock valued at $765,661 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 627,900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $122,403,000 after purchasing an additional 26,671 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.2% in the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,126,471 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $218,614,000 after purchasing an additional 240,673 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 172,580 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $33,493,000 after purchasing an additional 65,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Third View Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,992,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: BD reported fiscal Q3 revenue of approximately $5.0 billion, up 5.4% year over year, exceeding the roughly $4.89 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted diluted EPS of $3.23 also topped expectations of $3.14. BD Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $12.62-$12.72, above the $12.56 analyst consensus, and expects revenue growth toward the high end of its prior range. Becton Dickinson Signals Strong Growth Momentum By Raising Profit Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: BD highlighted growth across its core Medical and Interventional businesses. Year-to-date cash flow from continuing operations rose 33.3% to $2.1 billion, while free cash flow increased 44.6% to $1.7 billion, improving financial flexibility. Becton, Dickinson Fiscal Q3 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise; Lifts 2026 Adjusted EPS Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings beat was partly offset by profitability pressure: gross and operating margins declined, and adjusted EPS fell from $3.68 a year earlier despite revenue growth. Investors may focus on whether BD can convert sales momentum into sustained margin expansion. BD Stock Up in Pre-Market Post Q3 Earnings & Revenue Beat, Margins Down
• Negative Sentiment: BD recently recalled needles used in a vascular access system following reports involving four patient deaths. The recall could create regulatory, legal and reputational concerns, although the earnings reports did not quantify a financial impact. BD Recalls Vascular Access System Needles After Four Patient Deaths

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.