Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 561,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 12,845 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.19% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $135,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,953,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,364,096,000 after purchasing an additional 106,616 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,293,635,000 after purchasing an additional 460,440 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,055,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,181,483,000 after purchasing an additional 302,893 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,412,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,031,167,000 after purchasing an additional 346,720 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $720,089,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317,723 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $3.95 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $222.95. 2,269,225 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,442,112. The stock has a market cap of $64.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.53, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. The stock's fifty day moving average is $232.24 and its 200-day moving average is $233.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm 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 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company's quarterly 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 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This is an increase 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 1.87%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 63.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. 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 report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $283.50.

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.