Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 16,918 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 16,918 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.41% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $284,429,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PineStone Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 141.6% in the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,345,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $314,544,000 after buying an additional 788,735 shares during the period. M&G Plc bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $173,692,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $655,149,000 after buying an additional 688,296 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,412,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,031,167,000 after purchasing an additional 346,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $75,493,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on BDX. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $5.93 on Friday, hitting $233.04. The stock had a trading volume of 1,939,787 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,394,120. The stock has a market cap of $67.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.43. The business's 50 day moving average is $237.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date 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 payout ratio is 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.