Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $245.06, but opened at $233.55. Becton, Dickinson and Company shares last traded at $237.30, with a volume of 275,423 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 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. StockNews.com cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.3 %

The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $234.04. 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 capitalization of $66.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.41 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 70.03%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $185,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,844 shares of company stock valued at $2,210,716 over the last 90 days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 9,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,068,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $484,000. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,005,635 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $228,148,000 after purchasing an additional 146,357 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,131,000. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 10,348 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,348,000 after buying an additional 926 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is 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.