Covea Finance Boosts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Covea Finance boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 66,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 7,375 shares during the period. Covea Finance's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $15,118,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,743,052 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,067,196,000 after purchasing an additional 184,288 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position 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 worth $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,351,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,437,161,000 after purchasing an additional 66,024 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,401,126,000 after purchasing an additional 810,345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% during the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on BDX. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. William Blair downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $219.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were 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 now owns 4,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 479 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.28, for a total transaction of $94,497.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $964,107.36. This trade represents a 8.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $168.58 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $179.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $211.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.07. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The firm had revenue of $5.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.17 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

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.

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