Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Acquired by First Eagle Investment Management LLC

First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 32.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,803,255 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 688,296 shares during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company accounts for about 1.5% of First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.97% of Becton, Dickinson and Company worth $655,149,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 1,852,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $451,641,000 after acquiring an additional 68,509 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $99,562,000 after buying an additional 18,786 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% in the first quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $12,853,000 after buying an additional 49,559 shares during the period. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter worth approximately $11,998,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the first quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,257,000 after acquiring an additional 5,527 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BDX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James lowered 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 raised their price objective on 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. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX opened at $231.58 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market cap of $66.93 billion, a PE ratio of 51.01, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $235.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.54. 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 released 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. The business had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. 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.