Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Given Overweight Rating at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has raised its price target for Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00, indicating potential upside for investors with an "overweight" rating on the stock.
• Despite the optimistic outlook from Morgan Stanley, other brokerages have varied opinions, with some recently lowering their ratings and targets for the company.
• In the latest earnings report, Becton, Dickinson and Company exceeded analyst expectations, reporting $3.68 EPS and a year-over-year revenue increase of 10.4%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "overweight" rating reiterated by Morgan Stanley in a note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. They presently have a $197.00 price objective on the medical instruments supplier's stock, up from their previous price objective of $196.00. Morgan Stanley's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 2.17% from the company's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on BDX. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, William Blair lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $211.44.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $0.32 during trading on Monday, reaching $192.82. 1,173,050 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,666,997. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.10. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $163.33 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The company has a market cap of $55.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.68, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $176.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $198.06.

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

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the sale, the director owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at $4,450,398.90. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 99 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.