Dearborn Partners LLC Has $33.50 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Dearborn Partners LLC lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 138,959 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,529 shares during the quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $33,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth $45,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of BDX traded down $1.50 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $225.67. 1,374,112 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,407,550. 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 $236.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $235.05. The company has a market cap of $65.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. 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 posted $3.42 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on BDX. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has an average 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.