Candriam S.C.A. Purchases 3,172 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 241,017 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,172 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $56,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its stake in 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 valued at $451,641,000 after buying an additional 68,509 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 18,786 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $12,853,000 after purchasing an additional 49,559 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter valued at about $11,998,000. Finally, Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its position 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 buying an additional 5,527 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.3 %

BDX opened at $232.61 on Friday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $269.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $234.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.96. The company has a market cap of $67.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.42.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 14.49% and a net margin of 7.13%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, SVP Thomas J. Spoerel sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.31, for a total transaction of $71,793.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,876.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. 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 cut their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.50.

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.