Coastline Trust Co Cuts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Coastline Trust Co reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 22.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,375 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,020 shares during the quarter. Coastline Trust Co's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.2% in the 1st quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,735,000 after acquiring an additional 2,565 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 225.9% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,924,000 after buying an additional 5,389 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 380.8% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 58,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $14,580,000 after buying an additional 46,668 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 280,193 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $69,334,000 after buying an additional 37,851 shares during the period. Finally, M&G Plc grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. M&G Plc now owns 709,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $165,967,000 after buying an additional 6,052 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price 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. Raymond James lowered 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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 research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $2.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $225.15. 1,965,697 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,410,378. 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 has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. The stock has a market cap of $65.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $236.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $234.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The company 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 firm's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.

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.