Swiss National Bank Has $206.82 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Swiss National Bank increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 0.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 857,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.30% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $206,816,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.2% during the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,735,000 after purchasing an additional 2,565 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 225.9% in the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 5,389 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 380.8% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 58,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $14,580,000 after purchasing an additional 46,668 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 280,193 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $69,334,000 after purchasing an additional 37,851 shares during the period. Finally, M&G Plc lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% in the second quarter. M&G Plc now owns 709,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $165,967,000 after purchasing an additional 6,052 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. 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 report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE BDX traded down $1.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $224.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,319,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,409,970. The company has a market capitalization of $64.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.90, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $236.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.00. 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 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.