You can expect Becton to recover quickly

Article Excerpt

Medical device maker Becton Dickinson is down 13% from its recent peak of $283 in August. That’s mainly because hospitals have deferred many procedures to free up capacity for COVID-19 patients. However, the company’s outlook remains bright, particularly as it wins orders for its new COVID-19 testing system. BECTON DICKINSON & CO. $245 is a buy. The company (New York symbol BDX; Conservative Growth Portfolio; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 290.0 million; Market cap: $71.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.2; Dividend yield: 1.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.bd.com) operates through three segments: Medical (51% of fiscal 2020 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 (22%) makes stents, catheters, needles, incontinence devices, and surgical tools. Becton’s revenue fell 3.1%, from $12.48 billion in 2016 to $12.09 billion in 2017 (fiscal years end September 30). In December 2017, the company acquired C.R….