Nordea Investment Management AB Acquires 673,568 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 31.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,844,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 673,568 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 0.7% of Nordea Investment Management AB's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Nordea Investment Management AB owned 0.98% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $647,082,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 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 valued at $720,089,000 after buying an additional 1,317,723 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 688,296 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $108,243,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.2% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,107,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $266,974,000 after purchasing an additional 424,487 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX traded up $2.25 on Monday, hitting $230.71. 1,752,277 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,566,151. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $227.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.55. 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 capitalization of $66.91 billion, a PE ratio of 38.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 2,838 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.33, for a total value of $633,810.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,141 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,469.53. This represents a 31.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total value of $990,787.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,345 shares in the company, valued at $5,380,488.45. The trade was a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,959 shares of company stock valued at $1,764,340. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.