Axa S.A. Has $106.88 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

AXA S.A. raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 471,120 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 19,734 shares during the period. AXA S.A. owned about 0.16% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $106,883,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $284,429,000 after buying an additional 16,918 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.3% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 940 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.3% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,943 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,362,000 after purchasing an additional 3,713 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.8% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 9,017 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,174,000 after buying an additional 808 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $522,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total value of $94,497.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at $964,107.36. The trade was a 8.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total value of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares in the company, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,578 shares of company stock worth $795,986 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of BDX stock traded down $1.87 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $165.13. 3,662,914 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,829,950. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.42 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50 day moving average of $213.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $224.96. The company has a market capitalization of $47.41 billion, a PE ratio of 27.43, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.31.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.17 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback 10,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $231.44.

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.