Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $27.57 Million Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Victory Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 114,347 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,194 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $27,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% in the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. Raymond James cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded down $1.01 during trading on Monday, reaching $224.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,319,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,409,970. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The business's fifty day moving average price is $236.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.89. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. The firm has a market cap of $64.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.