Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Holdings Lifted by Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,053 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 589 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,986,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

BDX opened at $233.50 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $269.52. The business has a 50-day moving average of $235.51 and a 200-day moving average of $235.52. 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 has a market capitalization of $67.48 billion, a PE ratio of 51.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 83.70%.

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.