965 Shares in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Bought by Lountzis Asset Management LLC

Lountzis Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 965 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $233,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.4% during the second quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,978 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $696,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.1% during the second quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of 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. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 22.5% during the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 245 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of 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. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock traded up $1.36 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $233.00. 59,659 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,396,951. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12 month low of $218.75 and a 12 month high of $249.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $237.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $235.10. 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 has a market capitalization of $67.35 billion, a PE ratio of 47.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.43.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.42 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is presently 78.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of 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 raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $283.00.

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.