Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) - What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive: Eighteen firms rate Becton Dickinson “Moderate Buy,” with an average 12-month price target of $197.47—below the shares’ reported $217.95 price.
• Quarterly results beat expectations: The company reported EPS of $4.15 versus a $4.07 consensus and revenue of $5.27 billion versus $5.11 billion expected; revenue increased 5.4% year over year.
• BD approved shareholder returns: The company authorized repurchases of up to 10 million shares (3.6% of outstanding shares) and raised its quarterly dividend from $1.05 to $1.06 per share.

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $197.47.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $170.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, November 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $195.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of BDX traded up $2.24 on Friday, reaching $217.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,879,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,936,421. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $190.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.56. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $140.11 and a 12-month high of $219.78.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.07 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.11 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.90% and a net margin of 5.66%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.96 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.21 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 5th that authorizes the company to buy back 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 3.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Share repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 10th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total value of $31,100.85. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 2,993 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total transaction of $628,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 110,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,134,230. The trade was a 2.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,310 shares of company stock worth $688,650. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 17.1% during the 2nd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 96,211 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $14,715,000 after buying an additional 14,077 shares in the last quarter. Northside Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.3% in the second quarter. Northside Capital Management LLC now owns 61,324 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $9,280,000 after buying an additional 9,494 shares in the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.5% in the second quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 83,601 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $12,651,000 after buying an additional 5,828 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.0% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 44,032 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,923,000 after acquiring an additional 11,414 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at $3,353,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company, commonly known as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops and manufactures products used in healthcare, clinical laboratories and life sciences research. Founded in 1897, the company has a long history of producing medical devices and supplies. BD's products include syringes, needles, infusion systems and medication-management technologies, as well as equipment and supplies for collecting and processing clinical specimens. The company also provides diagnostic systems, laboratory instruments and tools used in areas such as cell analysis and biomedical research.

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.