Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Reaches New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $249.49 and last traded at $246.42, with a volume of 238396 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $243.45.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered 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 six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

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 company has a market cap of $71.48 billion, a PE ratio of 41.49, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s 50 day moving average is $228.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.15.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.42 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.03%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total transaction of $141,196.47. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,840. This trade represents a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,844 shares of company stock worth $2,210,716. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 12.1% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,806 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,227,000 after acquiring an additional 1,490 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 70.5% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 11,166 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,610,000 after acquiring an additional 4,617 shares during the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 34.7% during the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $371,000. Finally, Creative Planning boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 47,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,149,000 after purchasing an additional 2,314 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.