Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is “Hold”: Among 17 brokerages, eight rate BDX a buy, eight recommend holding, and one rates it a sell. The average 12-month price target is $182.20.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Becton Dickinson reported adjusted earnings of $3.23 per share versus the $3.14 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $4.98 billion compared with expectations of $4.89 billion.
• Dividend maintained amid insider selling: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.05 per share, equivalent to a 2.5% annualized yield, while insiders sold 5,189 shares worth approximately $765,661 over the past three months.

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $182.20.

BDX has been the topic of several research reports. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $175.00 price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Zacks Research raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Evercore set a $180.00 target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Monday, July 6th.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $170.30 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $46.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.12 and a beta of 0.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $153.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $162.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $127.59 and a 1 year high of $187.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.33% and a return on equity of 15.37%. The business had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.33%.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 2,764 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total transaction of $404,511.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at $16,122,355.05. This represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing 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 Michael David Garrison sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.66, for a total value of $160,226.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,172 shares in the company, valued at $1,918,633.52. This trade represents a 7.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 5,189 shares of company stock worth $765,661. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SFE Investment Counsel purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at about $2,666,000. Everett Harris & Co. CA purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at about $84,132,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at about $13,739,000. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,011,000. Finally, Mill Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $522,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD's products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company's operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD's product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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