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How to buy Becton Dickinson shares
Own Becton Dickinson shares in just a few minutes. Share price changes are updated daily.
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Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a leading medical instruments & supplies business based in the US. Becton Dickinson is listed on the NYSE and employs 72,000 staff. All prices are listed in US Dollars.
How to buy shares in Becton Dickinson
- Choose a platform. If you're a beginner, our share-dealing table below can help you choose.
- Open your account. You'll need your ID, bank details and national insurance number.
- Confirm your payment details. You'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
- Search the platform for stock code: BDX in this case.
- Research Becton Dickinson shares. The platform should provide the latest information available.
- Buy your Becton Dickinson shares. It's that simple.
What's in this guide?
- Can I buy shares in Becton Dickinson?
- Becton Dickinson shares summary
- Compare share dealing platforms
- Is Becton Dickinson stock a buy or sell?
- Can I short Becton Dickinson shares?
- Is Becton Dickinson suitable for ethical investing?
- Are Becton Dickinson shares over-valued?
- Becton Dickinson's financials
- How volatile are Becton Dickinson shares?
- Does Becton Dickinson pay a dividend?
- Have Becton Dickinson shares ever split?
- Other common questions
Becton Dickinson share price
Use our graph to track the performance of BDX stocks over time.Becton Dickinson shares at a glance
Information last updated 2021-01-24.
| 52-week range | $195.7605 - $283.027 |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | $250.4667 |
| 200-day moving average | $246.6958 |
| Wall St. target price | $277 |
| PE ratio | 95.4797 |
| Dividend yield | $3.32 (1.28%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | $2.71 |
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All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
Is it a good time to buy Becton Dickinson stock?
The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.
Is Becton Dickinson under- or over-valued?
Valuing Becton Dickinson stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Becton Dickinson's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.
Becton Dickinson's P/E ratio
Becton Dickinson's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 95x. In other words, Becton Dickinson shares trade at around 95x recent earnings.
That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.
However, Becton Dickinson's P/E ratio is best considered in relation to those of others within the medical instruments & supplies industry or those of similar companies.
- Baxter International (BAX.US): 45.00
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 25.72
- Medtronic (MDT.US): 42.55
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 59.67
Becton Dickinson's PEG ratio
Becton Dickinson's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 1.807. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.
The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Becton Dickinson's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.
However, it's sensible to consider Becton Dickinson's PEG ratio in relation to those of similar companies.
- Baxter International (BAX.US): 2.59
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 3.04
- Medtronic (MDT.US): 2.46
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 3.50
Becton Dickinson's EBITDA
Becton Dickinson's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is a whopping $4.7 billion.
The EBITDA is a measure of a Becton Dickinson's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.
To put Becton Dickinson's EBITDA into context you can compare it against that of similar companies.
- Baxter International (BAX.US): USD$2.8 billion
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): USD$27.3 billion
- Medtronic (MDT.US): USD$6.6 billion
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): USD$7.8 billion
Becton Dickinson financials
| Revenue TTM | $17.1 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 14.72% |
| Gross profit TTM | $7.9 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 2.98% |
| Return on equity TTM | 3.9% |
| Profit margin | 5.11% |
| Book value | $81.937 |
| Market capitalisation | $75.3 billion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
How to short and sell Becton Dickinson shares
- Create a CFD or spread betting account.
- Search for the stock code. E.g. "BDX.US"
- Choose your position size.
- Select "sell" rather than "buy".
- Confirm your position and keep tabs on it. You may wish to set limits on your position.
There are currently 2.0 million Becton Dickinson shares held short by investors – that's known as Becton Dickinson's "short interest". This figure is 7.8% up from 1.9 million last month.
There are a few different ways that this level of interest in shorting Becton Dickinson shares can be evaluated.
Becton Dickinson's "short interest ratio" (SIR)
Becton Dickinson's "short interest ratio" (SIR) is the quantity of Becton Dickinson shares currently shorted divided by the average quantity of Becton Dickinson shares traded daily (recently around 1.4 million). Becton Dickinson's SIR currently stands at 1.4. In other words for every 100,000 Becton Dickinson shares traded daily on the market, roughly 1400 shares are currently held short.
To gain some more context, you can compare Becton Dickinson's short interest ratio against those of similar companies.
- Baxter International (BAX.US): 2.32
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 1.77
- Medtronic (MDT.US): 1.58
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 2.19
However Becton Dickinson's short interest can also be evaluated against the total number of Becton Dickinson shares, or, against the total number of tradable Becton Dickinson shares (the shares that aren't held by "insiders" or major long-term shareholders – also known as the "float"). In this case Becton Dickinson's short interest could be expressed as 0.01% of the outstanding shares (for every 100,000 Becton Dickinson shares in existence, roughly 10 shares are currently held short) or 0.0069% of the tradable shares (for every 100,000 tradable Becton Dickinson shares, roughly 7 shares are currently held short).
Such a low SIR usually points to an optimistic outlook for the share price, with fewer people currently willing to bet against Becton Dickinson.
Find out more about how you can short Becton Dickinson stock.
Becton Dickinson's environmental, social and governance track record
Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Becton Dickinson.
When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.
Becton Dickinson's total ESG risk score
Total ESG risk: 33.76
Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Becton Dickinson's overall score of 33.76 (as at 01/01/2019) is pretty weak – landing it in it in the 65th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.
ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Becton Dickinson is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).
To gain some more context, you can compare Becton Dickinson's total ESG risk score against those of similar companies.
- Baxter International (BAX.US): 24.49
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 35.80
- Medtronic (MDT.US): 26.86
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 32.35
Becton Dickinson's environmental score
Environmental score: 4.87/100
Becton Dickinson's environmental score of 4.87 puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Becton Dickinson is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Becton Dickinson's social score
Social score: 20.06/100
Becton Dickinson's social score of 20.06 puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Becton Dickinson is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.
Becton Dickinson's governance score
Governance score: 13.83/100
Becton Dickinson's governance score puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Becton Dickinson is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Becton Dickinson's controversy score
Controversy score: 3/5
ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. A high-profile company, Becton Dickinson scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that Becton Dickinson hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.
Wondering how that compares? Below are the controversy scores of similar companies.
- Baxter International (BAX.US): 3
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 4
- Medtronic (MDT.US): 3
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 3
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary
Becton, Dickinson and Company was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.
| Total ESG score | 33.76 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 65.34 |
| Environmental score | 4.87 |
| Environmental score percentile | 5 |
| Social score | 20.06 |
| Social score percentile | 5 |
| Governance score | 13.83 |
| Governance score percentile | 5 |
| Level of controversy | 3 |
Becton Dickinson share dividends
Dividend payout ratio: 31.4% of net profits
Recently Becton Dickinson has paid out, on average, around 31.4% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 1.28% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Becton Dickinson shareholders could enjoy a 1.28% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Becton Dickinson's case, that would currently equate to about $3.32 per share.
While Becton Dickinson's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that Becton Dickinson may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.
Becton Dickinson's most recent dividend payout was on 31 December 2020. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 9 December 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").
Becton Dickinson's dividend payout ratio is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.
- Baxter International (BAX.US): 29.29%
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 50.19%
- Medtronic (MDT.US): 62.30%
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 48.57%
Have Becton Dickinson's shares ever split?
Becton Dickinson's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 21 August 1998. So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Becton Dickinson shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Becton Dickinson shares which in turn could have impacted Becton Dickinson's share price.
Becton Dickinson share price volatility
Over the last 12 months, Becton Dickinson's shares have ranged in value from as little as $195.7605 up to $283.027. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".
Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NYSE average) beta is 1, while Becton Dickinson's is 0.7967. This would suggest that Becton Dickinson's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).
To put Becton Dickinson's beta into context you can compare it against those of similar companies.
- Baxter International (BAX.US): 0.646
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 0.6959
- Medtronic (MDT.US): 0.708
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 0.8251
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Becton Dickinson overview
Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products worldwide. The company's BD Medical segment offers peripheral intravenous (IV) and advanced peripheral catheters, central lines, acute dialysis catheters, vascular care and preparation products, needle-free IV connectors and extensions sets, closed-system drug transfer devices, hazardous drug detection, hypodermic syringes and needles, anesthesia needles and trays, enteral syringes, sharps disposal systems; infusion pumps, dedicated disposables, IV fluids, medication compounding workflow systems, automated medication dispensing, automated supply management systems, medication inventory optimization and tracking systems; syringes, pen needles, and other products for diabetes care; and prefillable drug delivery systems. Its BD Life Sciences segment provides specimen and blood collection products and systems; automated blood and tuberculosis culturing, molecular testing, microorganism identification and drug susceptibility, and liquid-based cytology systems, as well as rapid diagnostic assays, microbiology laboratory automation products, and plated media products; and fluorescence-activated cell sorters and analyzers, antibodies and kits, reagent systems, and solutions for high-throughput single-cell gene expression analysis, as well as clinical oncology, immunological, and transplantation diagnostic/monitoring reagents and analyzers. The company's BD Interventional segment offers hernia and soft tissue repair, biological and bioresorbable grafts, biosurgery, and other surgical products; surgical infection prevention, surgical and laparoscopic instrumentation products; peripheral intervention products; and urology and critical care products. Becton, Dickinson and Company was founded in 1897 and is based in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.
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