Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the five brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $280.00.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.8 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $4.46 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $241.71. The stock had a trading volume of 2,085,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,449,503. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $240.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $243.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $229.85 and a 52 week high of $287.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market cap of $69.83 billion, a PE ratio of 57.28, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.98 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.05%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company's stock, valued at $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $114,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.3% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $778,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.8% in the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,383 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.0% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 504 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $134,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.0% in the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,346 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.