Borer Denton & Associates Inc. Boosts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Borer Denton & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 0.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 33,750 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 2.8% of Borer Denton & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Borer Denton & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 7,751 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,869,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 150,838 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,367,000 after purchasing an additional 2,729 shares during the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 142.9% during the third quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 3,896 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $939,000 after buying an additional 2,292 shares in the last quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% in the third quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,476 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,589,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 25.8% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 84,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $20,493,000 after buying an additional 17,444 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Raymond James cut their price target on 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. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped 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 note on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $224.00 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $249.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $235.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $234.54.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.97%.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.