Mizuho Markets Americas LLC Lowers Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mizuho Markets Americas LLC cut its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,763 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,748 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northcape Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the third quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,694 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,337,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $2,404,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 56,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $13,717,000 after acquiring an additional 2,824 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 57.0% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 67,357 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $16,240,000 after acquiring an additional 24,468 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock traded down $2.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $225.15. The stock had a trading volume of 1,965,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,528,964. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $236.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.99. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap of $65.08 billion, a PE ratio of 37.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target 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. Raymond James dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup raised 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 research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.