Nuance Investments LLC Increases Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Key Points

• Nuance Investments LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 98.3%, owning 63,551 shares valued at approximately $14.56 million.
• Multiple institutional investors, including T. Rowe Price and Kovitz Investment Group, also significantly increased their holdings in Becton, Dickinson during the last quarter.
• Becton, Dickinson recently reported $3.68 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and showing a 10.4% revenue increase year-over-year.

Nuance Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 98.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 63,551 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 31,502 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 1.0% of Nuance Investments LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Nuance Investments LLC's holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $14,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. 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 valued at $2,751,187,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219,317 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,414,322,000 after acquiring an additional 1,259,750 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $211,097,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29,654.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 744,445 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $170,523,000 after acquiring an additional 741,943 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.5%

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $192.53 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $176.28 and a 200 day moving average of $198.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $163.33 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $783,194.25. This trade represents a 20.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 23,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,214 shares of company stock valued at $579,206. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $197.00 price objective (up previously from $196.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $211.44.

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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