Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Price Target Raised to $279.00 at Barclays

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its target price raised by Barclays from $278.00 to $279.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

BDX has been the topic of several other reports. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of BDX opened at $224.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.22 billion, a PE ratio of 37.36, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.40. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $232.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. On average, analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total value of $159,593.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 36,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,215,163.67. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of 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 stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is 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.