Cypress Capital Group Has $924,000 Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Cypress Capital Group decreased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,833 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 115 shares during the period. Cypress Capital Group’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $924,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 380.8% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 58,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,580,000 after buying an additional 46,668 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 280,193 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $69,334,000 after buying an additional 37,851 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the second quarter. M&G Plc now owns 709,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $165,967,000 after buying an additional 6,052 shares in the last quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.2% during the third quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 22,315 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,380,000 after buying an additional 2,602 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 150,838 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,367,000 after buying an additional 2,729 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock opened at $225.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $235.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.65. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $249.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.10 billion, a PE ratio of 37.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on 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. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.