Royal Bank Of Canada Cuts Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Price Target to $202.00

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its target price lowered by Royal Bank Of Canada from $211.00 to $202.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a sector perform rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on BDX. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.27.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $177.88 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $162.29 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $186.77 and its 200-day moving average is $182.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.99, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 71.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,249 shares of company stock valued at $231,358. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BDX. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 42.6% in the first quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,745 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.7% during the first quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,986 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,287,000 after acquiring an additional 630 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 174.6% during the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 195,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $44,862,000 after acquiring an additional 124,522 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.