Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on BDX. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a buy rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $233.71 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $234.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $237.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.48, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $224.00 and a 1-year high of $287.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 6.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.86 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total transaction of $399,269.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,252,750.61. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,676,942.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,715 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.81, for a total value of $399,269.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,381 shares in the company, valued at $1,252,750.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,615 shares of company stock valued at $2,033,381 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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 the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,123,450 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,369,681,000 after acquiring an additional 195,931 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,200,213 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,637,062,000 after purchasing an additional 435,168 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,065,443 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,005,994,000 after purchasing an additional 172,005 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,630,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $938,593,000 after buying an additional 304,629 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,154,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $769,147,000 after buying an additional 19,200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

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.