National Bank of Canada FI Sells 80,660 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

National Bank of Canada FI decreased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 25.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 235,731 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 80,660 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned 0.08% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $56,840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock traded down $2.22 during trading on Friday, reaching $220.02. The stock had a trading volume of 2,794,843 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,890,653. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $63.61 billion, a PE ratio of 37.04, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.41. The stock's 50 day moving average is $232.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.59. 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. The company 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 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 1.89%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on 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 lifted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $283.50.

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.