Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Receives $279.50 Average Price Target from Analysts

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) has received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $282.63.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $239.76 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $269.52. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $236.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $235.57. The firm has a market cap of $69.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.81, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.