Plancorp LLC Lowers Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Plancorp LLC reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,333 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 97 shares during the quarter. Plancorp LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $312,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $451,641,000 after acquiring an additional 68,509 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $99,562,000 after purchasing an additional 18,786 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% in the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,853,000 after purchasing an additional 49,559 shares during the period. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $11,998,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the first quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,257,000 after buying an additional 5,527 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.2 %

BDX stock opened at $231.27 on Wednesday. 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 has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $269.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $235.07 and a 200 day moving average of $235.57.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued 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 of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price for the company. 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 report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.