Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by World Investment Advisors LLC

World Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 36.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,943 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 3,713 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $720,089,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,723 shares during the last quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 22,315 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $5,380,000 after buying an additional 2,602 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 561,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $135,267,000 after acquiring an additional 12,845 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 150,838 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,367,000 after acquiring an additional 2,729 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Curi RMB Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 18.1% in the third quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 84,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $20,463,000 after acquiring an additional 13,030 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:BDX traded down $1.61 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $225.56. The company had a trading volume of 2,747,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,459,641. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $249.89. The company has a market cap of $65.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50-day moving average of $231.00 and a 200 day moving average of $233.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company's previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,217 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,113,949.51. This represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on 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 upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.50.

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.