Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 10.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,020,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 93,926 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.36% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $233,784,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,751,187,000 after buying an additional 3,219,317 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $775,139,000 after buying an additional 2,722,829 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,004,132,000 after buying an additional 1,057,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,401,126,000 after acquiring an additional 810,345 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $0.80 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $175.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,208,336 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,070,439. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $172.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $206.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.64. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $163.33 and a 12 month high of $251.99. The stock has a market cap of $50.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.99% and a net margin of 7.28%. The business had revenue of $5.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.17 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th were paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup cut shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $192.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,575 shares in the company, valued at $783,194.25. This represents a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.