Stonegate Investment Group LLC Boosts Holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 5.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,536 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $1,335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Claro Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2,053.2% in the 3rd quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 60,312 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,541,000 after buying an additional 57,511 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 33,045 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,967,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 69,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $16,848,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 27,125 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,540,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Good Life Advisors LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 1,145 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE BDX opened at $243.75 on Friday. 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 has a 52 week low of $218.75 and a 52 week high of $262.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $237.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $235.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.19. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 7.13% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The firm had revenue of $4.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 13.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective 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. Citigroup raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised 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 report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $282.63.

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.