Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Sold by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. cut its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 6.2% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 97,426 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 6,472 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $22,769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 0.7 %

BDX stock opened at $235.54 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $68.08 billion, a PE ratio of 51.88, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.85. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $234.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.74. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $269.52.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company 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 business earned $2.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.1 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

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.