Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Trading 0.9% Higher – What’s Next?

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) shot up 0.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $225.68 and last traded at $224.75. 209,774 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 1,514,418 shares. The stock had previously closed at $222.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.6 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $65.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.61, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $232.78 and its 200 day moving average is $232.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.99, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total transaction of $633,810.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This trade represents a 31.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,363 shares of company stock valued at $1,676,105 in the last three months. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,429,000 after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $458,000. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 10,829 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,611,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 56,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $13,717,000 after buying an additional 2,824 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 9,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,404,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. 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.