Equitable Trust Co. Acquires 3,426 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Equitable Trust Co. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 91.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 3,426 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,734,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% in the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% in the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.6% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on 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. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of 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 dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE BDX traded up $4.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $231.64. 3,891,353 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,084,245. 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 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $237.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $235.09. The stock has a market cap of $66.95 billion, a PE ratio of 47.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.19%.

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.