Hantz Financial Services Inc. Acquires 18,813 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 43.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 62,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,813 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $15,047,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $720,089,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317,723 shares during the period. PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 141.6% in the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,345,873 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $314,544,000 after buying an additional 788,735 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 32.5% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 2,803,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $655,149,000 after buying an additional 688,296 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.4% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,365,554 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,293,635,000 after buying an additional 460,440 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the third quarter valued at about $108,243,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James dropped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.0 %

BDX stock opened at $221.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $234.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $234.23. The company has a market cap of $64.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.42 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.