Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Shares Bought by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 86.6% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 30,143 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,992 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $7,045,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on BDX. Evercore ISI cut 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 note on Tuesday, July 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $274.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.50.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $234.18 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.68 billion, a PE ratio of 51.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $269.52. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $234.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $235.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.