MQS Management LLC Makes New $485,000 Investment in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,075 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $485,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Palouse Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 23.2% in the second quarter. Palouse Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,061 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $715,000 after buying an additional 577 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 32.5% during the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 2,803,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $655,149,000 after acquiring an additional 688,296 shares in the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,978,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.3% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 632,659 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $147,936,000 after acquiring an additional 14,130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shariaportfolio Inc. lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 11.6% during the second quarter. Shariaportfolio Inc. now owns 8,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,908,000 after purchasing an additional 846 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $234.63 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $269.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $67.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.68, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $235.42 and a 200-day moving average of $235.54.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. 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 report on Tuesday, July 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James cut their price target 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. 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, Citigroup cut their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.50.

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.