Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Holdings Decreased by First City Capital Management Inc.

First City Capital Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,395 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 71 shares during the quarter. First City Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,562,000 after buying an additional 18,786 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC lifted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% in the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,853,000 after acquiring an additional 49,559 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $11,998,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the first quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,257,000 after purchasing an additional 5,527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caden Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP now owns 83,417 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $20,340,000 after purchasing an additional 17,599 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

NYSE BDX opened at $233.50 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.48 billion, a PE ratio of 51.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $269.52. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $235.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $235.54.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BDX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 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 note on Friday, July 26th. Raymond James dropped their price objective 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. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of 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. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price target on the stock. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.