Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Raises Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 93.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 151,082 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 73,108 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB owned about 0.05% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $36,426,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted 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 period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 worth $655,149,000 after acquiring an additional 688,296 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,293,635,000 after acquiring an additional 460,440 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $108,243,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 62.2% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,107,317 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $266,974,000 after purchasing an additional 424,487 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BDX. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of 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 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $6.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $227.17. 3,489,563 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,454,273. The company's 50-day moving average is $231.46 and its 200-day moving average is $233.40. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $65.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.21, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.42 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect 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 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 represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.03%.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.