Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) Stock Position Raised by Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 93.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,470 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,191 shares during the quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $596,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 44.2% in the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 150 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 86.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James cut 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 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. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $286.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.00.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.6 %

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $224.20 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $249.89. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $234.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $234.40. The company has a market capitalization of $64.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.74, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

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

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.03%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company 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.