Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 44,515 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 877 shares during the quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $10,404,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock opened at $231.27 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $235.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $235.57. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $269.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.84 billion, a PE ratio of 50.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.96 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BDX. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

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.