Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Buys 1,927 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,412 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,927 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted 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 worth $451,641,000 after buying an additional 68,509 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $99,562,000 after buying an additional 18,786 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,853,000 after buying an additional 49,559 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $11,998,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,257,000 after acquiring an additional 5,527 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on BDX. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Barclays increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $242.34 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $233.57 and its 200 day moving average is $236.06. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $283.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $70.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.38, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares in the company, valued at $472,876.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.