Empowered Funds LLC Acquires 496 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,867 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% in the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% in the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a 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. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of 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. 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. Finally, 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Up 1.3 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $225.21 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $249.89. The stock has a market cap of $65.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.91, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $235.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.65.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.