Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Coastline Trust Co

Coastline Trust Co lowered its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 22.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,375 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,020 shares during the quarter. Coastline Trust Co’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,501,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Northcape Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,694 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,337,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.2% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 9,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,404,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.2% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 56,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $13,717,000 after buying an additional 2,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 57.0% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 67,357 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $16,240,000 after buying an additional 24,468 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.9 %

BDX stock opened at $225.15 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $249.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of $65.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $236.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.42 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. 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. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James cut their price objective 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. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus 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.