Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Purchases 2,695 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 11.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,695 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $6,219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $231.27 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $269.52. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $235.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $235.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup dropped 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 note on Wednesday, July 10th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on 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. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.