Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stake Increased by Howe & Rusling Inc.

Howe & Rusling Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 41.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 30,785 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 8,976 shares during the quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,422,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,055,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,181,483,000 after purchasing an additional 302,893 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,905,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,146,374,000 after buying an additional 87,230 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,412,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,031,167,000 after buying an additional 346,720 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,984,524 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $697,513,000 after acquiring an additional 89,157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $655,149,000 after acquiring an additional 688,296 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $222.39. 1,420,701 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,409,881. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $235.78 and a 200-day moving average of $234.80. The stock has a market cap of $64.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. 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. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price 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. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company 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 note on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James decreased their target price on 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. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $283.00.

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.