Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C Has $1.17 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 165.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,997 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 3,115 shares during the quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,123,450 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,369,681,000 after acquiring an additional 195,931 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted 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 in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,905,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,146,374,000 after purchasing an additional 87,230 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the second 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 purchasing an additional 346,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 32.5% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 2,803,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $655,149,000 after buying an additional 688,296 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $274.00 target price for the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE:BDX traded up $2.06 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $237.26. The stock had a trading volume of 1,041,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,426,398. The stock has a market cap of $68.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.01, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. The business's 50 day moving average is $235.83 and its 200 day moving average is $235.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

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.