Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $3.16 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,095 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 711 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,158,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BDX. Claro Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 27.8% during the third quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 3,579 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $863,000 after buying an additional 778 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Family Trust acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $217,000. Phraction Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Phraction Management LLC now owns 43,883 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,580,000 after acquiring an additional 1,276 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $108,243,000. Finally, Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. boosted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 43.9% during the third quarter. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. now owns 11,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,714,000 after purchasing an additional 3,436 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $225.48 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $234.98 and its 200-day moving average is $234.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.17 billion, a PE ratio of 37.96, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $249.89.

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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.42 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.03%.

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.