Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Acquires 27,429 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 618,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,429 shares during the period. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for 3.2% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. owned 0.21% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $149,038,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $953,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96,125.0% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,849 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $952,000 after purchasing an additional 3,845 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth $2,296,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 7,435 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,840,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.1% in the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 8,511 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,200,000 after buying an additional 847 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE BDX traded down $0.78 on Tuesday, hitting $224.70. 73,144 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,408,204. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $249.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $64.95 billion, a PE ratio of 37.96, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $234.98 and a 200-day moving average of $234.48.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.42 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $1.04 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James cut 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 research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

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.