Coastline Trust Co Lowers Stock Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Coastline Trust Co lessened its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,375 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,020 shares during the period. Coastline Trust Co’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,501,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $225.15 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a twelve month low of $218.75 and a twelve month high of $249.89. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $236.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $234.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.08 billion, a PE ratio of 37.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.42 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on 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 increased their price target on shares of 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. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

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.