Becton poised to gain from weight-loss drugs

Article Excerpt

Becton Dickinson’s shares hit an all-time high of $280 in July 2023, but have moved down 15% on weaker demand for its COVID-19 testing kits. However, the company should benefit from stronger demand for its syringes due to increasing use of injectable weight-loss drugs like Ozempic. Its plan to launch 100 new products should also drive its long-term growth. BECTON DICKINSON & CO. $238 is a buy. The company (New York symbol BDX; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 288.9 million; Market cap: $68.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.6; Dividend yield: 1.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.bd.com) operates through three segments: Medical (48% of revenue) makes an array of devices for hospitals, doctors’ offices and other clients in health care; Life Sciences (27%) sells products for collecting and shipping specimens as well as equipment for detecting diseases; and Interventional (25%) makes stents, catheters, needles, incontinence devices and surgical tools. The U.S. supplies 58% of Becton’s revenue. Due to unfavourable exchange rates, revenue fell…