Becton, Dickinson and Company Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:BDX)

by · The Markets Daily

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 10,953 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,295% compared to the average volume of 785 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.45.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on BDX

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,167,375. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 1,324 shares of company stock valued at $245,860 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 256.8% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 285.3% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% in the second quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $0.37 during trading on Thursday, hitting $193.21. 228,474 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,431,020. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business’s fifty day moving average is $187.83 and its 200-day moving average is $183.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.12, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $162.29 and a one year high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 71.36%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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