Dearborn Partners LLC Has $33.50 Million Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Dearborn Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 138,959 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,529 shares during the quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $33,503,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.2% during the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,735,000 after acquiring an additional 2,565 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 225.9% in the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 5,389 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 380.8% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 58,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,580,000 after acquiring an additional 46,668 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 280,193 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $69,334,000 after purchasing an additional 37,851 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. M&G Plc now owns 709,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $165,967,000 after buying an additional 6,052 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI raised 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. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $227.23 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $236.56 and a 200-day moving average of $235.10. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $65.68 billion, a PE ratio of 38.25, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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 Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 63.97%.

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.