Zacks Research Upgrades Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) to "Strong-Buy"

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company to “Strong Buy” from “Hold.” Overall analyst sentiment remains “Moderate Buy,” with a consensus price target of $185.07.
• BDX shares rose 3.0% to $200.21, near their 12-month high of $200.47. The company recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $3.23 in EPS and $4.98 billion in revenue.
• Institutional investors hold 86.97% of the stock, while insiders have sold 6,906 shares worth approximately $1.27 million over the past three months.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on BDX. Weiss Ratings raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. TD Cowen upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $195.00 price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.07.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $200.21 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $55.16 billion, a PE ratio of 60.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.10 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $185.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $127.59 and a 12-month high of $200.47.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.89 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 4.52% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total transaction of $31,100.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 19,720 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,717,022.80. The trade was a 0.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 2,438 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.84, for a total value of $440,887.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,856 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,686,559.04. This trade represents a 14.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,906 shares of company stock worth $1,265,855. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth about $3,721,533,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,000,064 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,269,960,000 after purchasing an additional 1,177,256 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.8% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 13,815,335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,090,675,000 after buying an additional 1,887,224 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $474,993,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,101,695 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $318,050,000 after buying an additional 30,766 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of products used by healthcare providers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical companies and patients. Its offerings support medication delivery, diagnostics, infection prevention, surgical care and other clinical procedures.

BD's products include needles, syringes, injection devices, intravenous administration systems, medication-management technologies, specimen-collection products, diagnostic systems and laboratory instruments.

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