Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX Stock Position Raised by Covea Finance

Covea Finance increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 10.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 78,847 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,610 shares during the period. Covea Finance’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $14,758,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.5% in the 2nd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on BDX shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th. Argus upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.64.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $196.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $190.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.03. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $162.29 and a fifty-two week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%.The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 72.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total transaction of $123,302.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,568,973.15. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total value of $38,317.86. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 978 shares of company stock valued at $186,725. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. BD’s products are used by healthcare institutions, clinical laboratories, life science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to enable safe, effective delivery of care, specimen collection and diagnostic testing. The company’s operations span multiple business areas focused on medical devices, life sciences research tools and interventional technologies.

BD’s product portfolio includes single-use medical devices such as syringes, needles, needlesafety and injection systems, infusion therapy and medication management solutions, as well as vascular access, urology and oncology devices acquired through its interventional business.