Toronto Dominion Bank Cuts Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Toronto Dominion Bank decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 147,905 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 25,571 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank owned approximately 0.05% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $34,567,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX stock opened at $235.20 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.81, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $269.52. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $235.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.49.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.96 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BDX shares. 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 research report on Wednesday, July 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective 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. Raymond James decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.