Fiduciary Trust Co Reduces Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Fiduciary Trust Co decreased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,309 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 7,551 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,066,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in 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 worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDX. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. 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. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $221.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $234.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $234.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.04. The company 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $3.42 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 63.97%.

Becton, Dickinson and 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.