Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Short Interest Update

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,980,000 shares, a growth of 33.8% from the August 15th total of 1,480,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,360,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 0.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $234.13. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 502,849 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,419,333. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $234.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $67.66 billion, a PE ratio of 51.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.96 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

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.