Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Cahill Financial Advisors Inc.

Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,571 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 124 shares during the quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the third 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 during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $224.00 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $249.89. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $235.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $234.55. The firm has a market cap of $64.74 billion, a PE ratio of 37.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 63.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James decreased 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. 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 report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

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.