Becton, Dickinson and Company

Companies highlighted in this weekly wrap include Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX), American Science & Engineering, Inc. (ASEI), AAON Inc. (AAON), Aaron Rents, Inc. (RNT) and NTELOS Holdings Corp. (NTLS).

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Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) has seen bullish forecasts from Wall Street. Analysts are projecting earnings of $4.92 per share for the fiscal year ending September 2009, an increase of 5 cents over the past 2 months. For the following year, analysts are calling for earnings of $5.42 per share.

The company exceeded analysts’ estimates over the past 4 consecutive quarters by an average of 5.4%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company is scheduled to announce fiscal second-quarter results on April 15.

Industry Recognition

BDX recently announced its first-time appearance on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Fortune 500 list of green power purchasers. The company said its purchasing green power in support of EPA's Fortune 500 Green Power Challenge. EPA is challenging Fortune 500 corporations to collectively exceed 10 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) green power purchasing by the end of 2009. BDX’s purchase was ranked 23rd among participating corporations.

Read our Feb 19 commentary

Last Week's Growth and Income Zacks Rank Buy Stocks

American Science & Engineering, Inc. (ASEI) continues to see higher earnings estimates on record results. Analysts upped fiscal year forecasts by 2% over the past month. Read the full commentary on ASEI.

AAON Inc. (AAON), which is set to announce results for the fourth quarter on March 11, offers a return on equity (ROE) of 29%, exceeding the industry average of 14%. The company also boasts a solid balance sheet with no debt. AAON’s dividend yield of 2% is in line with the industry average. Read the full commentary on AAON.

Aaron Rents, Inc. (RNT) recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.017, noting that it is payable on April 1 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 6. The company’s yield of 0.3% is above the industry average as virtually none of RNT’s competitors offer dividend income. Read the full commentary on RNT.

NTELOS Holdings Corp. (NTLS) recently announced fourth-quarter earnings of 15 cents per share, topping the previous year’s 10 cents. The company also declared a quarterly cash dividend of 26 cents per share, which translates into a robust, industry-leading yield of 5.4%. Read the full analysis on NTLS.

Read the full analyst report on BDX