The Goldman Sachs Group Begins Coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in a report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $274.00 target price on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

Separately, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $280.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 2.3 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $231.97 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market cap of $67.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.45. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $224.00 and a 1 year high of $287.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $236.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $237.87.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.86 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total transaction of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at $2,676,942.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at $542,348.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,676,942.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,597 shares of company stock worth $2,028,786 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $35,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently 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.