Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Hancock Whitney Corp

Hancock Whitney Corp decreased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,676 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 67 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,127,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price 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. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.6 %

BDX opened at $224.20 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.80 billion, a PE ratio of 37.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $234.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $234.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.42 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

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.