Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases 431,026 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 53.9%, acquiring 431,026 additional shares during the first quarter, now holding a total of 1,230,068 shares valued at approximately $281.76 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and T. Rowe Price, have also significantly increased their positions in Becton, Dickinson, contributing to hedge funds and institutional investors owning 86.97% of the company's stock.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company reported earnings per share of $3.68 for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.04 per share, reflecting an annual yield of 2.1%.

Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 53.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,230,068 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 431,026 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.43% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $281,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,414,322,000 after buying an additional 1,259,750 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,567,654,000 after purchasing an additional 667,957 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.6% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,420,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,012,649,000 after purchasing an additional 312,124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew 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 worth $775,139,000 after purchasing an additional 2,722,829 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $280.00 to $224.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Bank of America lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $190.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $261.00 to $241.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Citigroup lowered Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $217.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $211.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the sale, the director owned 23,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,450,398.90. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 1,185 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.29, for a total value of $213,643.65. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $881,077.23. The trade was a 19.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $195.88 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $163.33 and a twelve month high of $251.99. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $178.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $196.94. The firm has a market cap of $56.15 billion, a PE ratio of 35.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.50 EPS. Analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is 74.82%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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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