Swedbank AB Raises Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 148,109 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,437 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned approximately 0.05% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $34,615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX traded up $2.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $236.33. The company had a trading volume of 915,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,447,671. The company has a market cap of $68.30 billion, a PE ratio of 51.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.85. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $283.50. The business has a 50 day moving average of $233.30 and a 200-day moving average of $236.21.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on BDX. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on 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. Citigroup dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. 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.

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.