Aristides Capital LLC Invests $351,000 in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $351,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from 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 Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $241.05 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $236.35 and a 200-day moving average of $235.51. The firm has a market cap of $69.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th were given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.