Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 4.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,002,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 1,259,750 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.75% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $6,414,322,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% in 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 period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,843,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,567,654,000 after purchasing an additional 667,957 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% in 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 acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,724,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $618,074,000 after purchasing an additional 115,943 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.2% during the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,282,476 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $522,824,000 after buying an additional 92,266 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. William Blair downgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price 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. Finally, Bank of America cut 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 report on Thursday, May 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $211.44.
Read Our Latest Research Report on Becton, Dickinson and Company
Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.3%
BDX stock traded down $2.43 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $191.07. 566,290 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,661,961. The company has a market cap of $54.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.20. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $175.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $198.42. 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 has a 52 week low of $163.33 and a 52 week high of $251.99.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend
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 given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 74.82%.
Insider Activity at Becton, Dickinson and Company
In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 863 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.30, for a total transaction of $165,954.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,450,398.90. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Shan sold 1,166 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total value of $199,607.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,214 shares of company stock worth $579,206 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.
Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile
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Free Report)
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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