First County Bank CT Has $317,000 Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

First County Bank CT reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,356 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 67 shares during the quarter. First County Bank CT’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $317,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Scientech Research LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,273,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 9.6% during the second quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 54,552 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,749,000 after purchasing an additional 4,789 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 682,830 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $159,584,000 after purchasing an additional 10,081 shares during the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $371,000. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 34.7% during the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $241.47 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $69.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. 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 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $269.52. The business’s 50 day moving average is $236.15 and its 200-day moving average is $235.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter last year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. Equities research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BDX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.50.

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.