Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the seven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $283.00.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BDX. Raymond James cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $224.14 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $236.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $234.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.73, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.42 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

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.