PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 192,695 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 9,514 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. owned about 0.07% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $46,459,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,905,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,146,374,000 after purchasing an additional 87,230 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the 2nd 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. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,984,524 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $697,513,000 after purchasing an additional 89,157 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew 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 buying an additional 688,296 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI upped 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 research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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 report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price on 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $222.41 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $64.28 billion, a PE ratio of 37.44, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $235.55 and a 200 day moving average of $234.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month 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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.97%.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.