Edge Capital Group LLC Sells 116 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Edge Capital Group LLC reduced its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,418 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 116 shares during the quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $331,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.5 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $233.50 on Monday. 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’s 50-day moving average is $235.51 and its 200-day moving average is $235.54. 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $218.75 and a fifty-two week high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for 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%. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis 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 (DPR) is presently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on BDX shares. Citigroup decreased their target price 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. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of 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. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.