Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Reaches New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• BDX reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $193.23 and most recently around $192.20, while its average analyst price target is $185.07.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: seven rate the stock a Buy, nine a Hold, and one a Sell, resulting in an overall “Hold” consensus. Recent targets range from $165 to $195.
• The company beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with EPS of $3.23 and revenue of $4.98 billion, while paying a $1.05 quarterly dividend yielding about 2.2%; however, its payout ratio is elevated at 126.51%.

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday. The company traded as high as $193.23 and last traded at $192.20, with a volume of 150,579 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $188.89.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $195.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Barclays initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $161.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. They set a "buy" rating and a $190.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $185.07.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.87. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $183.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $163.23. The stock has a market cap of $53.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.63 and a beta of 0.21.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 4.52%. The company had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.68 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. Research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 126.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.49, for a total transaction of $31,100.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 19,720 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,717,022.80. This trade represents a 0.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 4,152 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total transaction of $768,120.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,380,155. The trade was a 3.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 6,906 shares of company stock worth $1,265,855 in the last three months. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% during the third quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 1,112,958 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $199,672,000 after buying an additional 5,109 shares during the period. First Pacific Financial lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 4,736 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $876,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 144.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 210 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 120.8% during the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 9,148 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,637,000 after acquiring an additional 5,005 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Financial Network Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.1% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 3,391 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company, doing business as BD, is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells devices, diagnostic products and solutions for healthcare providers, researchers and patients. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, the company serves customers in hospitals, laboratories, physician offices, pharmacies and other healthcare settings worldwide.

BD's Medical segment offers products used for medication delivery and management, including needles, syringes, infusion systems, medication preparation and dispensing technologies, and systems designed to help improve medication safety.

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