Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Holdings Raised by Verity & Verity LLC

Verity & Verity LLC increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,653 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 651 shares during the quarter. Verity & Verity LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $3,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group now owns 5,597 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,308,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,635,000. Creekside Partners acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Brown Financial Advisors bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth $690,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% in the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,984,524 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $697,513,000 after buying an additional 89,157 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James cut their price target on 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.2 %

BDX opened at $241.66 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. The company has a market capitalization of $69.84 billion, a PE ratio of 53.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $236.50 and its 200-day moving average is $235.54. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $269.52.

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 company had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.96 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

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.