Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Grows Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,424 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 537 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,272,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 225.9% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after acquiring an additional 5,389 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 380.8% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 58,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,580,000 after buying an additional 46,668 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 280,193 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $69,334,000 after buying an additional 37,851 shares during the period. M&G Plc lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. M&G Plc now owns 709,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $165,967,000 after buying an additional 6,052 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benson Investment Management Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 22,315 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,380,000 after acquiring an additional 2,602 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $234.73 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $237.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.85 billion, a PE ratio of 39.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $249.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 63.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI upped their target price 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. Finally, 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

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.