Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Rating Upgraded by Citigroup

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) was upgraded by equities researchers at Citigroup from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $275.00 price target on the medical instruments supplier’s stock, up from their prior price target of $255.00. Citigroup’s price target points to a potential upside of 14.70% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped 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 report on Tuesday, July 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of BDX opened at $239.76 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $236.55 and its 200 day moving average is $235.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $269.52. The company has a market capitalization of $69.29 billion, a PE ratio of 52.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $312,000. NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 38.2% during the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 4,112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,003,000 after buying an additional 1,136 shares during the last quarter. Holderness Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Holderness Investments Co. now owns 1,272 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Edge Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $384,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 880.8% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 294,082 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $71,706,000 after acquiring an additional 264,097 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.