Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC Increases Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,154 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $451,641,000 after buying an additional 68,509 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the first 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 last quarter. Norden Group LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,853,000 after purchasing an additional 49,559 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $11,998,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the first quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,257,000 after purchasing an additional 5,527 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Raymond James dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX traded up $1.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $236.38. 821,504 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,433,813. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $68.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.07, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $283.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Becton, Dickinson and 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.