Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Free Report) by 33.2% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 518,198 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 129,209 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $89,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 341.4% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 128 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities research analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $211.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.40.
Insider Activity
In other news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total transaction of $213,643.65. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,023 shares of company stock worth $562,036. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance
NYSE:BDX opened at $186.41 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $53.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.25. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $190.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $186.03. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 74.82%.
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.
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