Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Has $36.55 Million Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc reduced its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 156,408 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 15,297 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.05% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $36,554,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on BDX shares. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group began 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 objective for the company. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE BDX opened at $233.50 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $235.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $235.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.48 billion, a PE ratio of 51.43, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $269.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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%.

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.