Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 668,792 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 11,276 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $161,246,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.4% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,055,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,181,483,000 after purchasing an additional 302,893 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,905,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,146,374,000 after acquiring an additional 87,230 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.5% during the second 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 buying an additional 346,720 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,984,524 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $697,513,000 after buying an additional 89,157 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 32.5% in the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 688,296 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $231.26. 1,215,207 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,401,442. 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 one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. The company has a market cap of $66.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $236.66 and a 200 day moving average of $235.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.80%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.