Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Holdings Raised by Miracle Mile Advisors LLC

Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 41.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,859 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BDX. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 20,982 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,059,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,168 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $523,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 132,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,940,000 after buying an additional 2,821 shares during the period. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $133,000. Finally, LifePlan Financial LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.4% in the 3rd quarter. LifePlan Financial LLC now owns 2,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $545,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. Raymond James dropped their target price 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 upped 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. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $237.17 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $68.54 billion, a PE ratio of 52.09, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $269.52. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $236.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.51.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted 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 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. As a group, analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is 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.