California State Teachers Retirement System Acquires 3,829 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 474,606 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,829 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $117,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $451,641,000 after purchasing an additional 68,509 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,562,000 after purchasing an additional 18,786 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $1,295,000. Norden Group LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,853,000 after acquiring an additional 49,559 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $11,998,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Barclays upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.13.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of BDX traded down $0.67 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $241.07. The company had a trading volume of 3,515,198 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,442,877. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $284.48. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $232.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $236.20. The stock has a market cap of $69.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.30, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.20. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.86 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.04 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total value of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,676,942.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.73, for a total transaction of $781,209.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,308 shares in the company, valued at $2,676,942.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 6,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,634,112. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.