Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Invests $33,000 in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 137 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $33,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 6,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,572,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 7.4% in the first quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,306 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,065,000 after buying an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $784,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 17.8% in the 1st quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 19,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,759,000 after acquiring an additional 2,902 shares during the period. Finally, Great Lakes Retirement Inc. raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 13.7% in the 1st quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 3,941 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $975,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted 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. 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. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $227.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $236.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.10. The stock has a market cap of $65.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

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.