Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Piper Sandler Analyst Says

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its price objective increased by equities research analysts at Piper Sandler from $275.00 to $280.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Piper Sandler’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.65% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $248.55 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $72.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $249.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $228.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.15.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BDX. Creative Planning grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,149,000 after acquiring an additional 2,314 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,617 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,716,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth $351,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,984,524 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $697,513,000 after buying an additional 89,157 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth $690,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.