ASB Consultores LLC Trims Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

ASB Consultores LLC lowered its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 27.5% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 462 shares during the period. ASB Consultores LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $284,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $233.50 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $269.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $235.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. Analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BDX. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on 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 raised their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. 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, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

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.