Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,630 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,316,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 402,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $99,562,000 after acquiring an additional 18,786 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,086.7% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 51,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,853,000 after purchasing an additional 49,559 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC bought a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $11,998,000. Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc. now owns 162,687 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,257,000 after purchasing an additional 5,527 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caden Capital Partners LP increased its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP now owns 83,417 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $20,340,000 after purchasing an additional 17,599 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $234.63 on Friday. 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. The company has a market capitalization of $67.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $235.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $235.54.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $4.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on BDX. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted 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. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated 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 target for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.50.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

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.