JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. has increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6%, now owning approximately 1.54% of the company, valued at over $1 billion.
• The stock of Becton, Dickinson and Company has shown a 10.4% revenue increase compared to the same quarter last year, reporting earnings per share of $3.68, exceeding analyst estimates.
• In a recent assessment, analysts have mixed ratings on Becton, Dickinson and Company, with upgrades and downgrades having adjusted the average target price to $211.33.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 7.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 312,124 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 1.54% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $1,012,649,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $266,000. Lcnb Corp grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Lcnb Corp now owns 3,120 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $9,850,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $123,000. Finally, Savvy Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,180 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $881,077.23. This represents a 19.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. The trade was a 20.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Bank of America downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $196.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Seven equities 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, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.33.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of BDX opened at $193.65 on Monday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $55.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.83, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $175.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $198.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

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.

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