Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 1,004 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 37.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,673 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $886,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BDX. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 30.2% in the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,051 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,735,000 after buying an additional 2,565 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 225.9% in the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after acquiring an additional 5,389 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 380.8% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 58,923 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,580,000 after purchasing an additional 46,668 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.6% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 280,193 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $69,334,000 after purchasing an additional 37,851 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.9% during the second quarter. M&G Plc now owns 709,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $165,967,000 after purchasing an additional 6,052 shares in the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Down 1.7 %

NYSE BDX opened at $227.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $249.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.25, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a fifty day moving average of $236.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.10.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.89%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is a positive change from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James lowered their target price on 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. Evercore ISI boosted 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 research report on Tuesday, October 1st. 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus 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.