Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Given New $215.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $210.00 to $215.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 4.26% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on BDX. Argus upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on 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. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $207.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 3.7%

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $206.23 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $191.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $187.67. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $162.29 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $58.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.41, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.23.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.68% and a return on equity of 16.42%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total value of $123,302.87. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,568,973.15. This represents a 4.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 1,052 shares of company stock worth $201,235 over the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. RiverGlades Family Offices LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $344,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter valued at $983,000. Covea Finance increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Covea Finance now owns 78,847 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,758,000 after purchasing an additional 7,610 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 905,757 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $169,531,000 after purchasing an additional 17,844 shares during the last quarter. 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 (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.