Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Boosts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Free Report) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 714,114 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 7,790 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned about 0.25% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $174,122,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.6% in the 3rd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 160 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $3.71 on Tuesday, reaching $231.01. 1,064,142 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,412,517. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $240.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $242.91. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $229.85 and a 52 week high of $287.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.29. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 6.44%. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.98 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Becton, Dickinson and Company's payout ratio is presently 90.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 282 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.29, for a total transaction of $67,197.78. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,276 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $542,348.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Raymond James upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $269.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $301.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $280.00.

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.