Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1,920.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 104,758 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 99,572 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $25,265,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at $58,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,207,000. Socorro Asset Management LP boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Socorro Asset Management LP now owns 36,732 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,856,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 174.4% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vestal Point Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $7,233,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $221.90 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $249.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $234.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.10. The company has a market cap of $64.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BDX. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

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.