Fiera Capital Corp Sells 116,688 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fiera Capital Corp decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,612,274 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 116,688 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for approximately 1.2% of Fiera Capital Corp's holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Fiera Capital Corp owned 0.56% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $388,719,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at about $45,000. Abound Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% in the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1,233.3% during the 2nd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on BDX. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target 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 stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $4.54 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $231.65. 3,891,299 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,403,113. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $235.09. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $249.89. The company has a market cap of $66.96 billion, a PE ratio of 39.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during 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%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS 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 given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 70.03%.

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.