Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 378,148 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,411 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $91,184,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.3% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 7,690 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,854,000 after purchasing an additional 1,599 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% in the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 130,826 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,542,000 after purchasing an additional 4,361 shares during the period. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% in the third quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 120,729 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $29,108,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.4% in the third quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 13,113 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,169,000 after purchasing an additional 668 shares during the period. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 16.7% in the third quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,047 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $222.24 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89. The company has a 50 day moving average of $233.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.73. The company has a market cap of $64.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.41.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share 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. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of 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. 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

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.