Aviva PLC Has $36.95 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 214,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,175 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.07% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $36,946,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,414,322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,259,750 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,575,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,880,510,000 after buying an additional 448,644 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,513,421,000 after buying an additional 3,268,478 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,567,654,000 after acquiring an additional 667,957 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,012,649,000 after acquiring an additional 312,124 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the sale, the director owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total value of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 1,249 shares of company stock worth $231,358 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $177.88 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50-day moving average of $186.77 and a 200-day moving average of $182.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.99, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $162.29 and a 12 month high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. Sell-side analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 71.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on BDX shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Argus increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.27.

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.