Mizuho Securities USA LLC Sells 3,536 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 15.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,743 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,536 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,519,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the second quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $1.45 on Friday, reaching $224.00. 1,676,940 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,411,982. The company has a 50 day moving average of $235.15 and a 200 day moving average of $234.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $249.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.74 billion, a PE ratio of 37.71, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.42 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. 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 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 63.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James decreased their price target on 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI boosted 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 report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.00.

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.