Providence Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 216 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,740 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Providence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the second quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% during the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI increased 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. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $221.96 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. 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 stock has a market cap of $64.16 billion, a PE ratio of 37.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $234.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.32.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. This is a positive change 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 is presently 63.97%.

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.