Geode Capital Management LLC Has $1.51 Billion Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,285,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 111,101 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.17% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $1,510,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position 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 last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% during the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of BDX stock traded down $0.40 on Wednesday, hitting $221.04. The stock had a trading volume of 1,902,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,445,651. The stock's 50 day moving average is $231.83 and its 200-day moving average is $233.49. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $63.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89.

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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. The firm'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 firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI increased their target price 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $283.50.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total transaction of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.