Bokf Na Lowers Stock Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Bokf Na cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 25.9% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,399 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,233 shares during the period. Bokf Na’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,496,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $234.18 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.58, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $234.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.96 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.