Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Invests $108.24 Million in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 448,953 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $108,243,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned about 0.16% of Becton, Dickinson and Company as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 43.9% during the third quarter. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. now owns 11,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,714,000 after acquiring an additional 3,436 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 208.9% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 236,682 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $57,064,000 after purchasing an additional 160,073 shares during the period. Northcape Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,694 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,337,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 9,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,404,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI upped their price target 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. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $2.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $225.15. 1,965,697 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,528,964. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.90, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89. The company's 50-day moving average is $236.30 and its 200-day moving average is $234.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.97%.

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.