Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Trading Down 0.1% – What’s Next?

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)’s stock price traded down 0.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $230.06 and last traded at $231.86. 445,129 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 1,516,633 shares. The stock had previously closed at $232.12.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market cap of $66.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $232.12.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at $1,666,808.01. This trade represents a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,363 shares of company stock valued at $1,676,105. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $458,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $779,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,693,000. 86.97% of the stock is 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.