Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Price Down 1.1% – What’s Next?

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) shares fell 1.1% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $225.58 and last traded at $225.90. 341,604 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 1,497,326 shares. The stock had previously closed at $228.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BDX. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.29, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.98.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 597 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.51, for a total value of $141,196.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,211.44. The trade was a 9.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,840. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,544 shares of company stock valued at $2,370,309. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,628 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.4% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 123,614 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,804,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 14,288 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,437,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 28.2% during the 3rd quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,810 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.0% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 42,013 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,129,000 after purchasing an additional 16,074 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

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.