StockNews.com Downgrades Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) to Hold

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

BDX has been the subject of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $231.60 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $66.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.01, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $234.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $237.93. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $224.00 and a 52 week high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock worth $2,033,381. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $451,641,000 after acquiring an additional 68,509 shares during the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,295,000. Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 103,004 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $25,115,000 after acquiring an additional 22,207 shares during the last quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP now owns 83,417 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $20,340,000 after acquiring an additional 17,599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,685,000 after acquiring an additional 6,190 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.