Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky decreased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,877 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 677 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $5,347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,562,000 after buying an additional 18,786 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% in the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,853,000 after acquiring an additional 49,559 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at about $11,998,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% in the first quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,257,000 after purchasing an additional 5,527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caden Capital Partners LP grew its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP now owns 83,417 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $20,340,000 after purchasing an additional 17,599 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:BDX opened at $239.76 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $69.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.81, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a fifty day moving average of $236.55 and a 200-day moving average of $235.57. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $269.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. Equities 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BDX has been the subject 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. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James cut their target price on shares of 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. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on 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. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.63.

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.