Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy” Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

Separately, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.7 %

BDX stock opened at $225.72 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.94. The firm has a market cap of $65.46 billion, a PE ratio of 37.50, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction of $159,593.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 36,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,215,163.67. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock worth $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CX Institutional boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 128.6% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,175 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $283,000 after acquiring an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 150,838 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,367,000 after acquiring an additional 2,729 shares in the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 7,579 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,827,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,304,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $555,596,000 after acquiring an additional 61,185 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

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.