Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC reduced its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,184 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% in the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX traded down $1.66 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $221.35. The stock had a trading volume of 1,804,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,443,634. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $232.24 and a 200 day moving average of $233.54. The stock has a market cap of $64.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price 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.