Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Becton, Dickinson and Company has been upgraded from a "hold" to a "buy" rating by analysts at Wall Street Zen.
• Despite the upgrade, the stock's consensus rating remains a "Hold" with an average price target of $211.33, indicating mixed sentiments among analysts.
• The company reported a 10.4% year-over-year revenue increase in its latest quarterly earnings, surpassing analysts' expectations.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:BDX traded down $0.97 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $192.53. 2,770,580 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,677,193. The company has a fifty day moving average of $175.81 and a 200 day moving average of $198.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.63, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206 over the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 46.1% in the 2nd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 7,812 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,346,000 after buying an additional 2,465 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $5,565,182,000 after purchasing an additional 4,305,947 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 42.3% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 1,581 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the period. Nordwand Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,340,000. Finally, Chiron Capital Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 662.4% in the 2nd quarter. Chiron Capital Management LLC now owns 10,704 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,844,000 after acquiring an additional 9,300 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is 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.