Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Has $2.07 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,501 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,073,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter worth $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 552.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total value of $67,197.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $231.01 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $240.49 and a 200 day moving average of $242.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.64. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $229.85 and a 1-year high of $287.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.74 billion, a PE ratio of 54.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 13.57%. The business’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.98 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 90.05%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.