Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Price

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) had its price objective upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $161.00 to $170.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on BDX. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $177.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, June 12th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $163.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $156.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $185.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $176.53 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $127.59 and a 12 month high of $187.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.17, a P/E/G ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $154.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $162.51.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.84% and a net margin of 4.52%.The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.68 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Becton, Dickinson and Company has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.620-12.720 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 106.33%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,100 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.66, for a total value of $160,226.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,918,633.52. The trade was a 7.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Thomas E. Polen, Jr. sold 2,764 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total transaction of $404,511.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,122,355.05. This represents a 2.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,189 shares of company stock worth $765,661. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Becton, Dickinson and Company

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC now owns 3,545 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $688,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 6,108 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,185,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 1,678 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 64.2% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 156 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Becton, Dickinson and Company

Here are the key news stories impacting Becton, Dickinson and Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results beat estimates. Fiscal Q3 revenue rose 5.4% year over year to approximately $5.0 billion, exceeding the $4.89 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $3.23 also surpassed expectations of $3.14, with growth across BD’s core medical and interventional businesses. BD Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: BD raised its fiscal 2026 outlook. The company now expects adjusted EPS of $12.62 to $12.72, above the prior outlook and the roughly $12.56 analyst consensus. Management also expects revenue growth toward the high end of its range and is targeting 90% free-cash-flow conversion. Year-to-date operating cash flow increased 33.3% to $2.1 billion, while free cash flow rose 44.6% to $1.7 billion. BD raises FY 2026 adjusted EPS guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup became more bullish. Citi raised its price target from $198 to $204 and assigned a “buy” rating, implying meaningful upside based on the cited reference price.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain divided. Piper Sandler lifted its target to $175 but maintained a “neutral” rating, while Wells Fargo raised its target to $170 and kept an “equal weight” rating. Both targets remain below the cited share price, limiting the positive impact of the revisions.
• Negative Sentiment: Margins and earnings comparisons are concerns. Although revenue and adjusted earnings beat forecasts, margins declined and adjusted EPS fell from $3.68 in the year-earlier quarter. The stock’s elevated valuation may also make investors more sensitive to profitability pressure.

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.