Saratoga Research & Investment Management Has $19.59 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Saratoga Research & Investment Management reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 83,839 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,296 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company comprises about 0.9% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $19,594,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. 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, Evercore ISI reduced their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $241.51 on Monday. 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 firm has a market cap of $69.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $269.52. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $235.48.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

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.