Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Holdings Decreased by Strategy Asset Managers LLC

Strategy Asset Managers LLC trimmed its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 32.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 16,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 7,718 shares during the period. Strategy Asset Managers LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,735,000 after acquiring an additional 2,565 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 380.8% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 58,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $14,580,000 after buying an additional 46,668 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 280,193 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $69,334,000 after acquiring an additional 37,851 shares during the period. M&G Plc increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the second quarter. M&G Plc now owns 709,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $165,967,000 after acquiring an additional 6,052 shares during the period. Finally, Benson Investment Management Company Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.2% during the third quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 22,315 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $5,380,000 after purchasing an additional 2,602 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX traded down $1.08 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $221.56. 654,305 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,406,113. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.04 billion, a PE ratio of 37.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $249.89. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $234.80.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The company 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%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. 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 (DPR) is 63.97%.

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.