Intech Investment Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Intech Investment Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 43.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,960 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 35,307 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $11,081,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 843.7% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,237 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 2,894 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.5% during the 1st quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 1,821 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $451,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at about $297,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $953,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 280,193 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $69,334,000 after acquiring an additional 37,851 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $225.21 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $249.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The business has a 50 day moving average of $235.35 and a 200 day moving average of $234.65. The company has a market capitalization of $65.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.91, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. 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. Raymond James reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

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.