Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $251.99 and last traded at $249.15, with a volume of 961924 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $247.60.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.0 %

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $230.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.68, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. This trade represents a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BDX. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 33.8% during the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,426 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 58,880 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,196,000 after purchasing an additional 3,808 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.2% during the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,735 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $659,000 after purchasing an additional 584 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 132,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,940,000 after purchasing an additional 2,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,168 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $523,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.