Quotient Wealth Partners LLC Sells 122 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Quotient Wealth Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,210 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 122 shares during the quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $774,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Shariaportfolio Inc. bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,680,000. Caden Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP now owns 83,417 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $20,340,000 after purchasing an additional 17,599 shares in the last quarter. PFM Health Sciences LP grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 29.9% during the 4th quarter. PFM Health Sciences LP now owns 200,041 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $48,776,000 after purchasing an additional 46,086 shares during the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 143,164 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,908,000 after purchasing an additional 26,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth about $2,687,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX traded down $2.34 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $235.87. 209,608 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,403,409. The stock has a market cap of $68.17 billion, a PE ratio of 52.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $266.29. 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $236.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.46.

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 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 firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict 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 was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.