Saratoga Research & Investment Management Sells 3,495 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Saratoga Research & Investment Management decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 80,344 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,495 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 0.8% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Saratoga Research & Investment Management's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $19,371,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 1,317,723 shares during the last quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.2% in the third quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 22,315 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $5,380,000 after acquiring an additional 2,602 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 150,838 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $36,367,000 after purchasing an additional 2,729 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 561,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $135,267,000 after buying an additional 12,845 shares during the period. Finally, Curi RMB Capital LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.1% in the third quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 84,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $20,463,000 after purchasing an additional 13,030 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI boosted 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. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock traded up $6.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $227.17. 3,215,817 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,453,132. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.68 billion, a PE ratio of 37.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $231.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.40. 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 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $249.89.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company 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 $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,113,949.51. The trade was a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.