Blair William & Co. IL Lowers Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Blair William & Co. IL lessened its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,569 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,052 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $8,546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BDX. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% during the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $424,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% in the second quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $210,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Edge Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

BDX opened at $233.50 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $235.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $235.52. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $218.75 and a 52-week high of $269.52. The company has a market cap of $67.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.43, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.50.

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.