Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Price Target Raised to $202.00

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Free Report) had its target price increased by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $170.00 to $202.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price points to a potential downside of 4.84% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Barclays began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $242.00 price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group initiated 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. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $195.00 price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $195.47.

Read Our Latest Analysis on BDX

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $212.27 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $58.49 billion, a PE ratio of 51.27, a PEG ratio of 14.26 and a beta of 0.22. The company’s fifty day moving average is $188.17 and its 200 day moving average is $170.28. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $137.35 and a 52 week high of $214.88.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.07 by $0.08. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 14.90%. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 5th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 3.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 2,438 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.84, for a total transaction of $440,887.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,686,559.04. This represents a 14.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Feld sold 165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly 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. 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,907 shares of company stock worth $1,269,128. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pensioenfonds Rail & OV purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $4,157,000. IFG Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.7% in the third quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 10,942 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,959,000 after buying an additional 967 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $216,000. Phoenix Financial Ltd. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.2% in the third quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 3,671 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $657,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the period. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.6% during the 3rd quarter. BankPlus Trust Department now owns 11,730 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,100,000 after acquiring an additional 5,199 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Its offerings serve hospitals, clinics, laboratories, researchers and pharmaceutical companies.

Further Reading

Analyst Recommendations for Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

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