Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Position Lessened by Axxcess Wealth Management LLC

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 19.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,164 shares during the quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,077,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on BDX. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted 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. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Raymond James dropped 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 note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $231.58 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $269.52. The company has a market capitalization of $66.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $235.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.54. 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 (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 period last year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

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.