Abacus Wealth Partners LLC Sells 680 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Abacus Wealth Partners LLC reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 33.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,343 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 680 shares during the quarter. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter worth $45,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI upped their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of 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 upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

BDX stock opened at $237.35 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $218.75 and a 1 year high of $269.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.59 billion, a PE ratio of 52.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The company’s 50-day moving average is $236.64 and its 200-day moving average is $235.58.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 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.