Viawealth LLC Has $256,000 Stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

Viawealth LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 41.4% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,488 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 436 shares during the period. Viawealth LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $256,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,308,749 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,565,182,000 after buying an additional 4,305,947 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,575,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,880,510,000 after acquiring an additional 448,644 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 59.2% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,786,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,513,421,000 after acquiring an additional 3,268,478 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 24.4% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,514,446 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,466,613,000 after acquiring an additional 1,670,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,723,702 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,153,157,000 after purchasing an additional 244,199 shares during the period. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $195.48 on Wednesday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1 year low of $162.29 and a 1 year high of $251.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The business’s 50-day moving average is $187.12 and its 200-day moving average is $182.80. The company has a market capitalization of $56.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Equities research 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Argus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $211.00 to $202.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.27.

Insider Buying and Selling at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 35,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,324,389.28. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 1,249 shares of company stock valued at $231,358 in the last quarter. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.