Broderick Brian C Decreases Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Broderick Brian C lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 67.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,793 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,782 shares during the quarter. Broderick Brian C's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. PineStone Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 141.6% in the 2nd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,345,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $314,544,000 after purchasing an additional 788,735 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $173,692,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 32.5% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 2,803,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $655,149,000 after buying an additional 688,296 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,412,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,031,167,000 after acquiring an additional 346,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $75,493,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE BDX traded down $1.06 on Friday, reaching $226.11. The company had a trading volume of 1,291,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,407,214. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company's fifty day moving average is $236.44 and its 200 day moving average is $235.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.35 billion, a P/E 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 63.97%.

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.