ORG Partners LLC Raises Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 689.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,799 shares during the quarter. ORG Partners LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the 3rd 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. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,285,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,510,050,000 after purchasing an additional 111,101 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% in 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 last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,055,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,181,483,000 after buying an additional 302,893 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the third 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. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $283.50.

Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 4,483 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.01, for a total transaction of $990,787.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,345 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,380,488.45. This trade represents a 15.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,747 shares of company stock valued at $1,949,520 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.3 %

BDX stock traded down $0.78 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $233.65. 2,597,939 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,896,587. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $226.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.44. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $248.42. The company has a market cap of $67.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

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.