Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Short Interest Update

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,900,000 shares, a decline of 10.0% from the November 15th total of 2,110,000 shares. Currently, 0.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,480,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Roland Goette sold 638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.03, for a total value of $139,741.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,113,949.51. This trade represents a 4.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at about $767,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the 3rd 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 buying an additional 1,317,723 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 561,040 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $135,267,000 after buying an additional 12,845 shares in the last quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 22,315 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,380,000 after buying an additional 2,602 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 150,838 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,367,000 after acquiring an additional 2,729 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $1.88 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $225.68. 2,526,168 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,470,588. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $249.89. The company has a market cap of $65.25 billion, a PE ratio of 37.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $230.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on BDX shares. 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. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.50.

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.