Providence Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 216 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,740 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $4,518,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of BDX. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 35.8% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 167 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at $45,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

NYSE:BDX opened at $221.96 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $249.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $234.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 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 the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.89% and a net margin of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

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.