Olstein Capital Management L.P. Increases Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Olstein Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 26.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 1.6% of Olstein Capital Management L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Olstein Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $9,162,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after buying an additional 16,918 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,312 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,245,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Umpqua Bank boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 2,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $660,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Armor Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Armor Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,348 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,772,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 2,937 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $708,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX traded down $7.66 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $232.40. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 320,642 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,374,366. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. The firm has a market cap of $67.17 billion, a PE ratio of 49.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50-day moving average is $237.53 and its 200-day moving average is $235.16. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $257.58.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 78.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James lowered 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $282.63.

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.