Handelsbanken Fonder AB Purchases 2,821 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 132,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,821 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $31,940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI lifted 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 research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of BDX stock traded up $0.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $238.22. 712,860 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,416,546. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $269.52. The company has a market cap of $68.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company's 50-day moving average price is $236.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.54.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were 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 was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

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.