CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Grows Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 58.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,311 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 483 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,123,450 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,369,681,000 after buying an additional 195,931 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,065,443 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,005,994,000 after buying an additional 172,005 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,154,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $769,147,000 after buying an additional 19,200 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $761,798,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.3% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,539,663 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $628,440,000 after purchasing an additional 105,821 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 0.6 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock traded up $1.51 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $235.90. 801,158 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,451,096. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $283.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.96, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $233.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $236.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.06 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,457,713.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total value of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Roland Goette sold 3,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.70, for a total transaction of $781,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,713.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 6,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,634,112 over the last 90 days. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.50.

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.