BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Purchases 140,051 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 79.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 317,422 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 140,051 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $76,530,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX opened at $225.21 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $235.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $234.65. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $65.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This is an increase 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 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

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.