Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Now Covered by Citigroup

Equities researchers at Citigroup began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $233.00 price target on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Citigroup’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 15.18% from the stock’s current price.

BDX has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $197.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $213.36.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $202.29 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $198.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.70, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $162.29 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.92 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.91 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.81 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.750-15.050 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 27th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 0% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.46, for a total transaction of $334,010.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 12,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,509,228.70. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,680 shares of company stock worth $539,848. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,977 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,827,000 after buying an additional 1,354 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Ascent Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 3,686 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $635,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grimes & Company Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% during the second quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 1,472 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.