Creative Planning Boosts Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Creative Planning increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,705 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,314 shares during the quarter. Creative Planning’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $11,149,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth $312,000. NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 38.2% in the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 4,112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,003,000 after purchasing an additional 1,136 shares during the period. Holderness Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Holderness Investments Co. now owns 1,272 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Edge Capital Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 880.8% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 294,082 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $71,706,000 after purchasing an additional 264,097 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Raymond James decreased their price objective 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. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised 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 note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $241.66 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $236.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.23, a PEG ratio of 1.92 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 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued 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. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The company had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. 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.