Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Acquires 2,000 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 429.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,466 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $594,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Syon Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Willner & Heller LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at $291,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $17,650,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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 research note on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James decreased their target price 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. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $236.50 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $68.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.09, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $262.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $236.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $235.30.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during 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 was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

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.