Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 13.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,176 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,624 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,453,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.9% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $953,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96,125.0% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,849 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $952,000 after purchasing an additional 3,845 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,296,000. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.4% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 7,435 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,840,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the period. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 8,511 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,200,000 after buying an additional 847 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.7 %

BDX opened at $225.48 on Tuesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $249.89. The firm has a market cap of $65.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $234.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.48.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.42 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 70.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. 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 note on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.