Cerity Partners LLC Has $20.49 Million Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 84,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 17,444 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $20,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $224.00 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $249.89. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.71, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during 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 business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.42 EPS. On average, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 63.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of 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. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

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.