Mather Group LLC. Sells 821 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Mather Group LLC. trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,789 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 821 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Abound Wealth Management lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 96.0% during the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 196 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $237.17 on Wednesday. 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 has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $269.52. The stock has a market cap of $68.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.24, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50 day moving average is $236.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.51.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on BDX. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.63.

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.